Hate Mail
by AnimalCookie
Summary: All celebrities get hate mail - but even sweet, innocent Sonny Monroe? Hate can be a very powerful emotion. How far will it go? Where will it take some people? And how long will it take an emotion to become dangerous?
1. Sticks and Stones

**Hey everyone! I finally was able to begin another story. I hope you guys enjoy it!!!!**

***I do not own SWAC***

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"Chad, that's my spot," Sonny stepped halfway out of her car which was parked in the middle of the isle.

"Well it's Chad's now!" Chad exclaimed, reaching into the black convertible for his script.

"Um, no," Sonny fought, grabbing her parking permit. "See, it says B013. That's my spot, I paid for it, now get out or I'm going to be late."

"Actually, Sonny, it really is my spot now. I had a chat with Mr. Condor and had him change my parking space."

"Why? You have the best spot in the whole lot."

"Yeah…the sun was damaging the upholstery in that spot."

"Chad! This is my spot! Where am I supposed to park?" Sonny cried.

"Don't worry, Sonny, Chad Dylan Cooper has already taken care of that. Here's your new parking permit. Enjoy."

"Spot Q641? Why can I just have your old spot?"

"Because it's _Mackenzie Falls_ property and we can't let you Randoms get spoiled now can we?"

"Ugh!" Sonny grunted as she sat back down in her car and drove way to the end of the parking lot.

***

"Sonny, you're late," Marshall irked at his desk without looking up from a stack of papers.

"I'm so sorry Marshall, there was traffic, then the security guard wanted to do a random search in my car for contraband, and then Chad," Sonny twitched.

"Just don't let it happen again."

"Hey, Marshall, what is this?" Sonny showed him a long list in her hands.

"Oh, Mr. Condor had that delivered this morning. Apparently there is a whole line of radio stations, television networks, and charity events who would like to have you as a guest. Mr. Condor thought it would be really good advertisement for both _So Random_ and Condor Studios. So that's your schedule for the next two weeks."

"But Marshall, there's at least three events everyday – how am I supposed to make it to rehearsals? I don't know if I can even keep up with this schedule as is, let alone get back here to rehearse."

"Don't worry about managing yourself, Sonny, Mr. Condor has hired someone to come and work for you as your own assistant for the next couple of weeks. As for rehearsals, we'll find a way to keep you up with it!"

"Okay, thanks Marshall!" Sonny smiled and exited his office. Although the schedule looked horrid, she was pleased so many different places wanted to speak with her.

"Sonny, mail's here," Josh knocked on her dressing room door politely.

"Come on in Josh!" Sonny shouted as she ran a curling iron through her hair, finishing some last touches before rehearsal resumed. Josh handed her the pile of envelopes of all different sizes and colors. Though there was a bountiful number of letters, Sonny's eyes went straight to a specific, red envelope with an all too familiar P.O. Box number. "Thanks, Josh," Sonny said absentmindedly staring at the one envelope in her hand.

As soon as Josh left, Sonny slid her finger underneath the flap holding the red envelope together. She knew she was going to later regret it, but her curiosity won and the letter was revealed.

***

"Sonny!" Marshall called out walking briskly around the corner. He found Sonny sitting outside of her dressing room on the ground. Her feet were firmly planted on the ground, her back pressed up against the wall, one hand ran through her freshly done hair pulling out the curls, and the other held onto a red piece of paper. "Sonny, there you are. Rehearsals began ten minutes ago."

"What?" Sonny looked up, trying to inconspicuously wipe a single tear from her eye. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Marshall. I'm coming right now."

"What do you have there?" Marshall noticed the letter. He saw the stress covering her face as well.

"Oh, it's nothing. A little bit of hate mail, but it's really not that bad. I'm just not used to it I guess," Sonny laughed nervously and crumpled it into a small red ball. "Let's go to rehearsals!" She and Marshall walked to the corner where Sonny threw the paper into a recycling bin.

"You go on ahead, Sonny," Marshall ordered. "I have to grab something from my office. Are you sure that letter didn't affect you too much?"

"Yep, I'm fine, Marshall," Sonny insisted.

Marshall nodded and sent her on her way. Once she was out of sight, Marshall dug through the recycling and immediately found the red letter. He was shocked to read what had been written:

_Dear Sonny Monroe,_

_What are you doing in Hollywood? No one there or anywhere else likes you. You're not talented, you can't act, and you're hideous to look at. Whenever I hear your dumb voice, I about want to rip the ears off the side of my head – I'd do anything to make the disgusting sound stop. Do the world a favor and go back to Wisconsin where all the other untalented, ugly people in the world are._

_Sincerely, _

_The Whole World_

"Oh my gosh," Marshall stood blankly. He had seen some cruel hate mail before, but someone like Sonny did not deserve this! He walked down to the set and called Sonny over.

"What's up?" she skipped over in her Christmas Tree costume.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he held the wrinkled letter up. "This is horrible, and I just wanted to make sure you weren't too upset."

"Marshall, I'm fine. Besides, it's not the first piece of hate mail I've ever gotten."

"Yeah, but all of those were from Tawni," Marshall reasoned.

"No, I've actually been getting quite a bit lately."

"Is it from the same person?"

"No and yes," Sonny pulled Marshall even further away from the rest of the cast. "He – or she – or they – signs it differently every time, but it's always from the same P.O. Box number."

"Do you have any of the others?" Marshall asked curiously.

"A few but I threw most of them away. I thought hate mail was rather normal, though. Why are you freaking out about it?"

"Why don't you get back to rehearsal and we'll talk about it later."

***

"Mr. Condor, Sonny Monroe is here to see you here, sir," the receptionist alerted Mr. Condor.

"Thank you, you may send her on in!" Mr. Condor replied. "Sonny, it's good to see you, please, have a seat," he stood slightly. "Marshall Pike told you about your appearances and your new assistant, correct?"

"Yes, Mr. Condor, and may I just say thank you so much for getting me some help for the next few weeks."

"Of course, Miss Monroe, it's what all actors do when they have a steady chart of appearances. I would like you to meet Lindsay. She's going to work for you until your schedule clears. She'll meet you here or at home in the mornings and travel with you to all of your appointments. She's in charge of keeping you on track, so just do what she says and you'll be fine. You two are dismissed."

Lindsay quickly followed Sonny out the door with a bit of a skip. Once they were out of Mr. Condor's section, she finally spoke, "Sonny Monroe, I'm Lindsay Blain, and can I just say that I am _really_ glad I get to work for you. I have to admit, when I was called in by Condor Studios, I was a bit nervous. I've heard from my colleagues that a few people here can be a little hard to work for."

"Gosh, I can't imagine who!" Sonny laughed, imagining she was referring to Tawni or Chad. "Well it's really nice to meet you and I can't tell you how thankful I am that you're going to help me out."

"Trust me, it's _my_ pleasure! I already have a rough draft of your schedule for tomorrow – that's when Mr. Condor said your first interviews are." Lindsay handed Sonny a piece of paper, intricately detailed with times and places. "I'm sorry it seems so old fashioned, but I haven't been able to get a real computer organizer yet."

"No, this is perfect. I think we're going to work really well together!"

***

"Marshall, I'm leaving for the night. Can I get my check? It wasn't on my shelf," Tawni knocked on her director's door and stepped inside.

Marshall rubbed his eyes wearily. "Is it time to leave already? I'm sorry, Tawni," Marshall reached into his desk and pulled out his company checkbook. "Here you go. Have a good Friday night but be safe. I want you back here undamaged for tomorrow's filming."

"What's got you all stressed out?" Tawni finally noticed his fatigue.

"It's these hate mail letters Sonny has been getting. They're horrible."

"Like how?" Tawni raised her eyebrow. They got hate mail all the time so she wondered what had him so nervous about these specific letters. Of course it was obvious that Sonny was his little favorite pet, but he was acting quite strange.

"Insults, accusations, and horrible threats. And they're all from the same P.O. Box number. You don't think she has a hate group out there, do you?"

"Marshall, we all have our hate groups. Even you! Just relax – we have a big show tomorrow and there's no need to get so stressed out over a couple of letters."

"You're probably right," Marshall finally conceded. "Come on, I'll walk you out." Marshall stood, grabbed his keys and followed Tawni out to the parking lot, locking every door behind them.

***

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Connie Monroe, Sonny's mother, tucked Sonny under the covers and gently placed a kiss upon her forehead.

"Goodnight, mom," Sonny sighed happily, allowing her body to fully relax into the comfortable mattress. Connie shut off the light and closed Sonny's door.

Sonny quickly fell asleep in the cool night air. Los Angeles had been hit with abnormally cold weather that winter, but compared to Wisconsin, it was practically summertime.

She had instantly meshed with her new assistant, Lindsay. The girl – only 18years old – was from Indiana and had the same peppy, Midwest personality Sonny had herself. Sonny was almost sad Lindsay was only going to be around for a couple of weeks.

She had quickly been able to forget about the letter from that day. Marshall had made her give him all of the previous letters, and it was admittedly a relief to finally have them out of her hands.

Sonny was asleep, but instead of sweet dreams flowing through her head, something horrifying quickly shook her awake.

Connie sat in her bed next door reading a home and gardening magazine. She had a soft lamp lighting the room with the aid of a scented candle which was supposed to help her relax. But even with a thousand candles, there would be no relaxing the mother that night.

Only an hour after she had put Sonny to bed, a sickening smash followed by a heart-wrenching scream flowed through the entire apartment complex. Connie flew out of bed, losing her spot in the magazine and leaving the candle unattended.

She dashed the few steps across their apartment to Sonny's room where, even though she could not see anything in the darkness, she could feel an instant drop in temperature and hear the small whimpers of her daughter. Connie flicked the light switch and revealed a giant hole through Sonny's window and a rock with a piece of paper tied to it on the ground. She looked over and saw her daughter pushed up against the wall, holding her knees to her chest.

"It's okay, sweetie, Connie carefully walked around the shattered glass and held her daughter momentarily before running to the room next door to see if she could see anyone running away through the window. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no one there. It would only have been a two story throw – not very hard for anyone to accomplish.

Connie returned to Sonny's room and cupped her face, "Darling, are you hurt at all?"

"No, I'm okay," Sonny's breath labored as she tried to calm her senses down. There was a heavy knocking at the door. Connie stepped away again to answer, not knowing quite who would be there that late at night.

To her surprise, it was three of their neighbors – all with anxious looks on their faces.

"Mr. Franklin, Mrs. Stevenson, and Ms. Inkle, hello – how can I help you?" Connie asked, looking back towards Sonny's room every few minutes.

"We heard Sonny scream and we all came rushing over to see that she was safe," one of them explained.

"Thankfully she's all right. We just had a rock thrown through her window."

"Oh my goodness!" Mrs. Stevenson gasped.

"I can board it up for you tomorrow morning, but she probably won't want to sleep in that room tonight," the man suggested.

"Thank you, Mr. Franklin, we would greatly appreciate your help." Connie was cut off by a small cry coming from Sonny's room. "Thank you all for your worries, but everyone is safe. We can worry about the rest in the morning. I really have to get back to her." Everyone waved goodbye to one another as they went separate ways. "Hey baby, what's wrong?" Connie stepped back into the freezing cold room.

Sonny bit her lip and handed over the paper which had been folded around the rock. Connie received it curiously and read over the words.

_Sonny Monroe,_

_If you know what's good for you, you won't go on television tomorrow night. No one wants to see your fat, ugly face. Your skin is so pale, I feel like I'm blinded every time I am forced to see you. If you really like the other people on So Random, you will just quit now. You bring them all down. If you can find your heart, you won't go on television. If you do choose to go on, this will not be the last midnight call._

_Yours truly,_

_Television Owners of the World_


	2. Fending For Herself

**Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for all of the sweet reviews and the ton of people who read the first chapter! I hope you enjoy!

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"Just close your eyes, Sonny, I'll be right here," Connie ran her fingers through Sonny's hair as they both lay in Connie's bed.

"Mom, I have to go on the show tomorrow night. There's no way Marshall can rewrite all of the sketches I'm in. It's a big show tomorrow. I can't miss it."

"Sonny, I'll talk to Marshall tomorrow," Connie spoke quietly and soothingly. "You need to focus on getting sleep so your mind is clear for your interviews tomorrow. I don't want you to think anymore about that letter."

"All right, Mom, goodnight."

***

"Connie, I cannot take her out of the show tonight. I know you're worried about her, but it is simply out of the question," Marshall apologized. He understood Connie's justifications for not wanting Sonny to participate in that night's show, but it was now impossible to change the script without cancelling the show entirely. "We just cannot submit to every threat we get."

"Marshall, a rock was thrown through her window. We're only on the second floor. What if it hit her? What if the rock hit her, Marshall?" Connie pressed. "I know you have to look out for the good of the show. Not to mention the fact that Mr. Condor would freak out if we cancelled now, but isn't there anything you can do? Doesn't she have a stand-in ready to go?"

"Connie, you have to believe me when I tell you this, but Sonny is much safer going on stage tonight than off. If you fall into this one threat, she'll never be able to step foot back in front of any camera due to the threats."

"I'm worried about her. A mother worries about her daughter. I'm allowed to worry about my daughter. But I also know that Sonny wants to go on the show tonight. We talked this morning, and she was adamant that she went on tonight. Isn't there anything you can do to keep her safe, Marshall?"

"There is nothing we can do to keep them from hurting her, Connie. If this person's intention is to hurt her, he or she would have done it by now. They're just threats, Connie, they're just threats."

***

"That was so much fun!" Sonny exploded through the doors of the first television studio of the day with Lindsay by her side. "Where to next?"

"Lunch, then an appearance at the charity for better education telethon, then back to Condor Studios for a quick rehearsal of your sketches, back out to Channel Five studios for another interview, and finally back to Condor Studios for the show. Are you going to go on tonight?"

"I told my mom I wanted to. She's talking with Marshall about it today," Sonny dug through her purse trying to find her phone as she got in the passenger seat of Lindsay's car. "Hang on," she grunted, "my mom has left thirteen messages." Sonny quickly listened to all of her voicemail. Almost every message was the same. Her mother asked how she was feeling, if she was still safe, and how the interview went. She told Sonny that she was still set to go on the show. She made sure Sonny realized how worried she was for her safety and that she loved her.

"Is everything okay?" Lindsay asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yep, it's just my mom. Lindsay, do you think this person sending me these letters knows me? Did I do something to get someone angry with me?"

"It's almost impossible to tell, Sonny," Lindsay shrugged. "Think of it this way. How many letters do you get from complete strangers confessing their undying love towards you? You have done nothing for them but appear on their television screens once a week. From how I see it, the opposite reaction could occur too – just total strangers disliking you. It could be anything too. It could be your hair, your clothing, or even one of your lines. Personally, I don't believe they are going to do more than just talk a lot."

***

"Cooper," Tawni marched onto the set of _Mackenzie Falls_ as the cast was being released for lunch.

"What do you want?" Chad carefully placed his jacket on over his costume.

"Is it you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you the one sending Sonny all of those letters?"

"What letters? Why would I waste my time writing love letters to a Random?"

"They're not love letters, genius. They're hate mail. But it's gotten further than just that. Apparently this person is threatening her and last night he threw a rock through her window. I want to know if it's you."

"Sonny's getting hate mail and threats? Why would anyone do that? It's not like she's done anything huge to tick anyone off."

"That's why we're trying to figure out who it is and put a stop to it. The whole thing is causing way too much unwanted drama. We might as well be living over here!"

"Why would you assume it's me?" Chad asked, ignoring her comments.

"You've been getting under Sonny's skin recently. Buying out her dinner reservations, returning her mp3 player with a broken screen, and stealing her parking spot are just a few moments. I don't know what you're trying to do, Chad, but let me warn you. If you are the one sending those ridiculous letters, you better watch out. I may not like Sonny, but if you mess with one of us 'Randoms,' you mess with all of us!" Tawni marched off in a huff, leaving Chad standing behind rather uncomfortable. Someone was threatening Sonny? Sweet, innocent, harmless Sonny? His first question was why, then who, and finally how?

***

"Welcome back to _So Random_'s fifth anniversary! Bringing you half a decade of laughs!" the announcer brought the show back to the air. Sonny was out, alone, on stage in her Christmas tree costume waiting for Grady to arrive as Santa and Nico as his elf. Zora played the little girl who would find Santa at her house, and Tawni was her mother who could not see Santa no matter how many times Zora shouted, "He's right there!"

Sonny's part was rather small, but it was vital to the sketch. She looked out over the audience, trying to determine if she could locate the possible writer, but everyone seemed to be having a great time.

The only one who appeared to not be enjoying herself was Connie Monroe. She was so nervous about Sonny going out on stage. Even though everything seemed to be going as planned, there would be no squelching the mother's fear.

***

"Thank you so much, Lindsay," Sonny hugged her new assistant goodbye for the night. So I will come and meet you here at the studios then Monday morning?"

"Yep, 7:30 A.M. sharp! I'll be here waiting for you. You were great tonight, Sonny. Have a good night!" Lindsay walked away as Mrs. Monroe approached her daughter.

"You were spectacular, as always, Sonny," Connie hugged Sonny. "Are you going to stay for frozen yogurt with your friends?"

"No, no one can stay tonight. Tawni has a date, Nico has to visit his grandmother, Grady's sister is coming home from college tonight, and Zora is on probation with her parents. It's just you and me, Mom!"

"Well you didn't get dinner so how about cheeseburgers on me?"

"Mom, you would never make me pay and you know it," Sonny laughed.

"Are you worried about tonight?" Connie asked quietly once they had left the building.

"Not really. I mean, whatever happens, happens, right? I don't think I have done a thing to get these people angry, so there is no preventing their actions. We just have to pray for everyone's safety!"

"Sonny, where are you going?" Connie asked curiously.

"To my car," Sonny looked back at her mom suspiciously. "You took the bus here right?"

"Yes – just as I always do – but you're going in the complete opposite direction of your parking spot."

"Oh," Sonny rolled her eyes. "There was a little change. I'm up here now."

"You call this a _little_ change?" Connie wrapped herself in a hug, trying to brace herself against the harsh winter winds as they trekked through the empty parking lot together. Sonny just laughed and moved forward.

***

Sonny stayed in her own bed that night. Connie worried tremendously all through the night about leaving her daughter alone, but with the board covering Sonny's window, Connie figured it had to be the safest room for her daughter.

Sonny slept like a baby that night, completely exhausted from the day's events. Connie, however, received no sleep whatsoever. She moved constantly from the kitchen to the bedrooms to the bathrooms looking out the windows to ensure no one was there who was not supposed to be. Thankfully, no one came even close to the apartment complex.

The next day when mail arrived, Sonny was prepared to receive a red letter reading, 'You were warned' but no such thing came around. Marshall was glad to hear that the person had given up somewhat on his cause. He had been confident all they needed to do was show they were not afraid of someone without a life who had nothing better to do than threaten and abuse a sixteen-year-old girl – and apparently he had been right!

***

"Has anyone seen Lindsay?" Sonny wandered all around Studio Three. She looked down at her watch – 7:44 A.M. "She said she was going to meet me here at 7:30. Traffic wasn't even that bad on the way in."

"Have you tried calling her cell phone?" Tawni asked as she rolled her eyes.

Sonny stared at her for a second, unable to respond. Of course she had tried her cell phone. "Yes, Tawni, I did. I know it's only been like three days that I've known her, but I really thought she was more responsible than this. I hope everything's okay."

"Sonny, Lindsay is fine. It's obvious she's the one sending you the hate mail," Tawni sat up and turned around in her chair to face Sonny. She had suddenly become very excited. "I thought about it all night last night after my date, and I came to the conclusion that the butler did it! Except for the fact that she's not actually a butler, but you know what I mean! Isn't it funny how she shows up _now_ and the day she gets your address from you and Mr. Condor, a rock is thrown through your window? Now she's late for your _big_ interview with Chris Collins – the biggest talk show host _ever_. I'm sorry, Sonny, but it is Lindsay."

"I don't know, Tawni, I mean, I don't know her that well, but she seemed so nice." Sonny's watch alarm alerted her the time had changed to 7:45. "Okay, I really need to go. Will you tell Marshall I'm driving myself there? And if Lindsay ever shows up, tell her where I am please." Sonny turned to leave but grabbed the doorpost right at the last minute, swinging herself back around, "Oh, and if you see Mr. Condor, _don't_ tell him. I don't know if it is Lindsay or not, but whatever happened with her, we can handle it on our own. We don't need to get him involved too."

"Okay," Tawni called out, no longer listening intently to Sonny, rather captivated by the picture in her mirror.

Sonny quickly shuffled all the way out to her car. The sun was nice and bright, but no warmth filled the air. Her breath precipitated as it left her mouth, leaving a small trail behind her as she scurried across the parking lot.

Quickly adjusting herself into the driver's seat, Sonny started the car with one hand as she reached over for the seatbelt. Her mirrors were already positioned to her liking, so all that was left to do was drive off. Sonny looked around at the oncoming traffic. It was still fairly light – traffic would not be a good excuse for Lindsay to use if she ever did show up.

When she finally arrived at the studio for Chris Collins, Sonny was ushered in by the studio staff and sent directly to hair and makeup for a few touch ups. One of the onstage directors slightly admonished her for being so late.

"We were afraid you were going to be a no-show, Miss Monroe. We almost had to pull someone else right at the last minute which would _not_ have been good," the young man declared as he stood uncomfortably close behind her, watching every stroke of every makeup brush. As soon as the last touch was done, he swung the chair around and motioned for her to follow him to the green room.

Within minutes, Sonny was directed to walk out on stage and meet Chris Collins.

"So, Sonny Monroe," Chris said with a smile, leaning far back in his chair, "I read on the internet last night about a little incident at your apartment. I believe it was your room even. Why don't you tell us a little bit about that."

Sonny smiled, but inside she was panicking. She knew she really should not be speaking about a situation when the person could take offense to her words at any moment. It was not smart for her to downplay it or make a joke about it, because the person might think she did not take his message seriously and she feared another, stronger message. Sonny realized she did not want to speak about it as if she had been scared, because she could not allow this person to win. The temptation to lie almost seemed overwhelming. It would be so easy for Sonny to say a bird flew right through the window or a boy was throwing pebbles and threw one too big or too hard – but lies are too easily revealed in Hollywood. She wished Lindsay had been there just to give her small signals about when to stop speaking, but Sonny was flying solo and she had to choose her words _very_ wisely.

"Well, Chris," Sonny began, "Condor Studios has been keeping a lot of the crowds away from the building recently, and I have been very busy. I think someone really wanted to get my attention, and unfortunately, it resulted in a stone through my window."

"You weren't hurt, were you?" Chris asked cautiously.

"No, no, no. Not at all! My window has seen better days, however." The entire audience projected a low, rumbling laughter.

"What did the message say?" the host continued to prod.

"This person had some opinions about the show and a certain technique he or she thought would improve it. At _So Random_, we always appreciate fan participation. Unfortunately, it was too late for us to make any significant changes to that night's show."

"Fans are hilarious aren't they?"

"They're the best!" Sonny smiled, relaxing a bit inside. She felt she had pulled off the question perfectly!

***

"Hey, Marshall, this is Sonny. Sorry I'm calling you for the fifth time, but I was just wondering if Lindsay ever showed up today," Sonny held the phone to her ear using only her shoulder and cheek while leaving a message on Marshall's voicemail as she dug through her purse to find her keys. "I'm leaving the QVC sub-studio right now. Just so you know the _So Random _pillows, trivia sets, and soda lid collections completely sold out. The only thing that didn't was the _So Random_ cookie assortment. Go figure. So I'm going back to my apartment now. If you could have Dave fax me over the rough draft for this week's show I'd really appreciate it. Have a good night, Marshall!"

Sonny decided to try Lindsay's phone one last time, but again, it went straight into her voicemail. She had already left three messages and had no desire to leave a fourth. Sonny shook her head and sighed. She was so excited to have her own assistant, but apparently that dream was not going to work out after all. She really had not had a hard time making all of her appointments that day, but it would have been much easier if someone had been there to help her. There had been no time for her to stop for lunch, and if she had not left half a bagel in her car from that morning, she would have been starving.

Sonny quickly ran up the single flight of stairs to her floor and all the way down the hallway to room 24. There were three notes taped to the outside door. Sonny was shocked – usually there was only one, but even that was on rare occasion.

The first was from her mother:

_Sonny, I've left for the store to pick up the Christmas ham. I'll be back about an hour after you come home. Love you! -Mom_

Sonny smiled. Her mother always had the right words, even if they were simple ones. The second one sent a chill through Sonny's spine – it was red.

_Sonny Monroe, you think you're clever don't you? The world saw you today on Chris Collins after we WARNED you not to appear on television anymore. He has the best talk show and you ruined it with your stupidity! Your little explanation of the last message has cost you BIG. Ha, big – kind of like you. Enjoy your result! –Former Television Fans_

Sonny shook. She knew that this person knew where she lived, but she never expected him to have the nerve to actually come up to her door. What made the situation worse was this person clearly posted the letter after her mom had left – or else the letter would have been removed – so the person knew Sonny would be alone for the next hour. She was not safe. Carefully, she pulled the third from the door and read it quickly.

_Sonny, your friend needs you. Please come to Apartment 26 immediately! –Mr. Franklin_

Sonny ran to the room next door and pounded on Mr. Franklin's door. She looked in all directions with her back pressed up against the door. She felt as though she was in a horror film and the psycho killer was going to attack her right before Mr. Franklin opened the door.

The door opened slowly and Sonny stumbled backwards a bit. "It's me, Mr. Franklin," Sonny reported.

"Sonny, dear, come in quickly," Mr. Franklin opened the door the rest of the way and allowed for her to step in. "Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Mr. Franklin recognized her considerable paleness and shaking hands.

"I'm fine; I just got another letter from this person. He posted it on my door so he knew that I was all alone. I was terrified I was in some serious danger!" Sonny explained.

"What did the letter say?"

"The person was angry at what I said on the _Chris Collins Show_ today and he said I had a price to pay and he also called me fat. I really don't care about the fat comment, but I'm really scared!"

"It's okay, dear, you're safe here."

"I know," Sonny wiped her eyes, preventing the first tears from falling. "So what did you need?"

Mr. Franklin looked at her questioningly for a moment, then reality struck him. "Oh, yes!" He quickly led her to the guest bedroom where a person was sitting. It took Sonny a moment to recognize the young woman sitting on the bed. Her face had been damaged with a black eye, bruised cheekbone, and cut lip. Her clothing – normal LA attire – appeared torn and dirty.

Finally, after staring at her in disbelief for a moment, Sonny shouted out, "Lindsay!"


	3. So Obvious

**Hey everyone! Wow - I can't believe it's been SO LONG. Thanks to everyone who submitted reviews off of the last chapter all throughout the year. It was one crazy school year, and now that I've caught up on some sleep, I was able to quickly put out the next chapter. I think I finally have an idea where to take this, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for sticking with me ;) **"Lindsay," Sonny quickly rushed over to her assistant, forgetting about her own worries. "What happened to you?"

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"Someone attacked me this morning," Lindsay had to pause for a quick breath, "on my way into the studio. I'm so sorry I missed your interviews. You can find another assistant."

Sonny gently placed her hand on one of Lindsay's shoulders and sat down next to her on the bed. "No, it's okay. Everything worked out just fine. Who attacked you? Why? And where?"

"I don't know, they came at me from behind. There were three of them, I think. It was in the parking lot, but it was really early. There was barely anyone in the lot."

"Wait, so if you were there, why did you come all the way back here?"

"I cannot remember very well what happened today," Lindsay admitted.

"She was horribly traumatized and in such a state of shock, she had no idea where she was or why she was here. All she said was your name – over and over and over again," Mr. Franklin explained. "She just stood at your door knocking until she fell to the ground. I noticed her when I came out for my paper. It took a while to get her to calm down, but I finally got her to lie down. We brought the shock under control and her mind cleared up after her wounds were treated."

"Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" Sonny grit her teeth.

"_This_ was pinned to her shirt," Mr. Franklin handed Sonny a little red note. "I didn't mean to read it, but I'm glad I did. I figured you didn't want much attention being brought to this, and I _do_ have past paramedic training."

Sonny stared at the small, folded piece of blood red paper in her hands, but chose not to read it – not now. "I don't know, I'd hate it if something were to happen," Sonny sighed. She did not want the news leaked, but at the same time, Lindsay's life was more important. "But thank you, Mr. Franklin, for all of your help. She probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for your help. May I just ask one more thing of you?"

"Sure, of course, Sonny."

"Can we stay here for a little longer? This person knows my mom isn't home and I'm terrified of being at risk with them on the loose – especially after this."

"Of course you can stay, sweetie. Is there anything I can get you to eat?"

"No, thank you. I'm just going to stay here with Lindsay if you don't mind."

"Not at all. I'll be right outside if you need anything."

"Sonny!" Mrs. Monroe burst through the guest room door where Sonny was sitting alone, staring at the red letter – still folded. Sonny had arranged for Lindsay's mother to pick her up from Mr. Franklin's apartment only twenty minutes before Connie's arrival. Mr. Franklin had even ventured out to post another note on apartment 24's door as to Sonny's location. He then went on to explain the whole situation to Connie so Sonny did not have to.

"Mom," Sonny looked up. "Thank God you're here. Can we go home now?"

"Is that another letter?" Connie stepped into the doorway. Sonny nodded ashamedly as if it were her fault. "What does it say?"

"I don't know, I haven't read it yet. Why is someone doing this, mom? It's not like I've done anything."

"I don't know, dear. Come on, let's go home. I'll make you something warm for dinner and we can eat in front of the television like we used to do when you were little and upset."

"Mom, we did that _once_ and that was after Sara Loofing stole my doll in the first grade," Sonny laughed.

"Yes, and now we're going to do it again! Come on, let's get out of Mr. Franklin's hair."

Sonny and Connie walked back to their apartment and began making dinner together. Originally, Connie was going to do all of the work, but cooking seemed to help Sonny relax a bit.

"Are you ever going to open that letter?" Connie asked Sonny whose head was softly resting upon her mother's shoulder a few hours later.

"Maybe," Sonny sighed. "What do you think the chances are they've admitted defeat and promise to leave me alone?"

"For you, anything is possible!" Connie giggled, reminiscing on everything Sonny had done that she should not have been able to.

Sonny inhaled deeply and grabbed the horrible, red note off of the coffee table in front of them. She unfolded the paper with her eyes closed, then, opening them slowly, she read the letter aloud.

_Dear Sonny Monroe,_

_Are you happy about this? You know you caused this right? You're the one who caused this all after all. Here was this innocent little girl, just wanting to help you out, and then you go and screw things up. You're so stupid, you know that? You actually thought standing up to these letters by going on the show Saturday night was going to take us down? I don't know how your brain even functions. Your IQ must be so low that you only have enough brain power to continue to exist. Someone should hit you in the head. Obviously the loss of a single IQ point would be enough to take you out for good. Too bad you forced us to hurt your assistant instead. I'm sure, though, if you were to sit on her with your fat butt, you could have done a lot more damage. We're giving you one last warning. STAY OFF OF THE TELEVISION._

_-Joe Six Packs and Hockey Moms _

Sonny shook her head and refolded the letter. She knew her mom had been reading over her shoulder and also knew what it said. Giving a small giggle, Sonny looked up at her mom, "If these people weren't so angry, they'd be good at comedy."

Connie shook her head. Sonny was always able to turn a horrible predicament into a smile or a laugh. "Come on, it's bedtime."

"Mom, it's only seven thirty?" Sonny tilted her head.

"Yes, but I want you in bed early tonight. It's been a long, hard day, and you're going to have another one tomorrow. So let's go."

Sonny sighed but followed her mother's direction.

"She quit?" Sonny glared at Mr. Condor. "Why would she just quit? I needed her."

"Sonny, she was brutally attacked yesterday. Any smart person would quit. But apparently she's not as smart as I thought. She'll be back next week after her doctor says it's okay for her to return. Until then, _I'll _be running you around. Let's go," he led her out of his office and out the door to his car.

Sonny climbed into the passenger door of his big, black Lincoln. In the back seat sat Dakota, playing with her dolls.

"Oh, hi Daddy. Are we ready to take Sonny to her charity event?" she asked innocently.

"We sure are, pumpkin. If you guys could just hang on, I left my briefcase inside," Mr. Condor walked slowly away to the building.

"Now listen," Dakota reached forward, grabbing a handful of Sonny's hair. "I love puppies and I love Ellen Degeneres. So at Ellen's charity event for puppies, I want to be involved."

"Okay," Sonny smiled nervously.

"Hey, Sonny, how was your day?" Mrs. Monroe asked looking up from the pot on the stove.

"Horrible. Dakota completely took over the charity event today and Mr. Condor grilled me all day about one thing or another. I need Lindsay back."

"Didn't Marshall say she'll be back next week?"

"Yes, but I just don't know how I'm going to make it until then," Sonny sat down at the table and crumbled her head into her arms.

"Aw, don't worry, babe. It'll get better. I'm sure Dakota won't be there forever and just be glad that you didn't get another letter today. You didn't get another letter, did you?"

"No, Mom, I didn't. I did, however, get several bones thrown at me by someone offstage during the charity event. Ellen kept apologizing, but they couldn't find the culprit."

"Daddy, Daddy!" Dakota came crying up to Mr. Condor just as they were about to leave for her interviews. Sonny had convinced Mr. Condor to leave Dakota with the cast of _Mackenzie Falls _for the day.

"What's wrong, baby?" he bent down to hug her.

"Some person came up to me and gave me this letter. Then he yelled at me and told me if I didn't give it to Sonny, I'd be in big trouble!"

Sonny stared down at the dark red letter. "I'm sorry about that, Dakota," she quickly pulled it from her hands. "What can I do to make up for it?"

Dakota was rather surprised Sonny was acting so sweet and honestly wanted to make up for the attack. Sonny still hated the little devil, but she knew the trauma it could cause anyone to be confronted with these people.

Mr. Condor began to glare at Sonny, "Sonny, why was my daughter approached by these people? Did you have anything to do with -"

"Mr. Condor, I swear, I would never have a little girl chased down. It must have been because she was seen on television yesterday. But I would never have them do this. I don't even know them!" Sonny quickly defended herself.

"Okay, okay. Sonny, why don't you go ahead and take yourself to your interviews. I'm going to take Dakota home and spend the day with her."

"Yes, sir. I can handle it!" Sonny said cheerfully, but completely doubting herself.

Once Mr. Condor and Dakota had driven off, Sonny quickly flipped open the letter:

_Dear Sonny Monroe,  
Here we go again! Tainting the poor youth by dragging one along on that show. Although I must admit you fit in pretty well with those stray mutts. I bet if you had gone without your escort, Ellen would have tried to adopt you off like one of the regular dogs. And when that happened, no one would even want to adopt you – no matter how hard they tried. So I believed I asked you to STAY OFF TELEVISION. You're really starting to tick me off. I'm tired of saying it over and over and over again. Next time, I won't give you anymore warnings. Your house won't be damaged. Friends won't be damaged. Next time, I'm going straight to you. So think about your actions before you talk to Oprah this morning. If you step foot on that stage…well…may God have mercy on you._

_Sincerely,  
Chad Dylan Cooper Fans_

"I knew it!" Sonny exclaimed. "I'm going to kill Chad when I get back tonight." She pulled violently out of the parking lot.

Even though Oprah shot in Chicago, she had come to Hollywood for a special show, and had asked Sonny to be a part of it. Sonny was now fearless about appearing on the show. Chad was just jealous. She was getting a ton of attention which was getting _So Random_ attention, and he could not stand it.

As she thought about it on her drive, she realized it had all been planned out. He had someone throw a rock into her window, he probably had hired a writer to figure out exactly what to say to tick her off, and for all she knew, he had a professional beat up Lindsay but not kill her. If he thought he was going to get away with this, he had another thing coming to him!


	4. His Fault

**Quick, little update :) I just wanted to mention again that I do not own SWAC, Make a Wish, or Oprah. I wish I owned Oprah, but I don't :( I'd be really rich! Enjoy!**

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"Welcome everyone, today we have a guest who I'm really, really excited about," Oprah opened after the commercial break. "She's the underdog from Wisconsin who has been working avidly for the less fortunate – adults, children, and even our little, fury friends. Ladies and gentlemen, please help me in welcoming Sonny Monroe."

The entire room exploded in applause as Sonny walked out to the stage. She waved out to everyone, smiling towards the crowd of screaming people. Oprah quickly pulled her into a light hug and both of them stood momentarily, waving towards the audience. Finally, Oprah sat in her chair and Sonny sat on Oprah's sofa.

"Sonny, how have you been?" Oprah began.

"Really busy, but really good. This past couple of weeks has had its rough patches, but I think things are finally starting to look up," Sonny nodded.

"That's great. So you've been really active in various charities recently – correct?"

"Yes," Sonny shined a toothy smile. "It's been a lot of fun and I have had the chance to meet some really awesome people."

"Has there been a specific charity which has really captured your heart?"

"Well, I think they are all great. What they are able to do for others is truly amazing. However, when I was working for the Make A Wish Foundation, I met a couple of kids who were just so inspirational. I think I would really like to do some more work for the foundation in the near future."

Sonny and Oprah continued on for twenty minutes talking about current events, _So Random_, and even Sonny's life back in Wisconsin.

"Well, unfortunately, our time is about to come to an end, but I do have one surprise for you Miss Monroe," Oprah announced. Sonny stared at her, quite puzzled. Even the audience was sitting on the edges of their seats, waiting in anticipation to hear the surprise. "While you were in the green room, your boss, Mr. Condor, called and told us that you have been chosen to be the star of the new movie, _Away From Home_."

"Are you kidding?" Sonny fell into a euphoric state. "That's incredible! I wanted that part so badly!" The entire crowd roared with the same excitement Sonny was feeling.

_That should really get under Chad's skin_. Sonny thought to herself as she drove to her next event – a radio talk show.

"All right, we are now going to take a couple of calls to talk with the stupendous, so great, splendid, skillful Sonny Monroe," the talk show host spoke into his microphone.

"Hi, is this Sonny Monroe?" a young voice came over the air. The host rolled his eyes.

"Yes it is. What's your name?" Sonny replied.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I actually got through! I love you so much. You're like my idol. My name is Ashley from Kansas. I watch _So Random _every single week."

"Aw, thank you," Sonny giggled. "Hopefully you can make it out to the studio sometime for a live taping."

"Okay, next caller," the host stepped in. "Hi, what is your name?"

"Stephen, from LA," the boy said very soberly.

"All right," the host appeared confused. "What would you like to say to Sonny?"

"Sonny Monroe, _watch out_. We're coming for you, you little piece of –"

"Whoa!" the host cut the caller off. "That was weird. Let's take the next caller."

Sonny continued talking to her fans – her real fans – but beneath the table, she wrung her hands together and dug her nail into her skin.

"Hey, what happened to prescreening the calls?" the talk show host confronted the controls manager.

"I don't know," he replied. "This kid was practically crying, he was so excited to see Sonny. I never expected any of what we heard. Although, it was kind of disturbing, some of the calls that were coming in. We've had some controversial people here before, but the calls were incredibly horrifying. I don't even want to repeat what was said."

After a shooting for a commercial, Sonny drove back to Condor Studios for a post-dinner rehearsal.

"I can't believe Chad!" Sonny shouted to herself in the car. "Calling the radio station and threatening me in front of my fans! He has sunk to an all time low. And all time _low_! If I could get my hands on him right now, I would give him a piece of my mind. Next time I see that boy, I'm going tell him how I felt about his little call."

Suddenly, Sonny had to slam on the breaks as the car in front of her came to a quick stop.

"Whoa, that was a close one!" she sighed, but just as she went to rest her head against the window, the car coming up behind crashed into her, shattering a couple windows and throwing Sonny forward into the car she had avoided.

"Sonny Monroe," the man who hit her jumped out and stormed her as she carefully stepped out of her own car. "You're time is up."

Sonny stared, terrified as the man began to reach for something in his jacket pocket.

"Oh my gosh, are you guys okay?" the woman from the front car leapt out and carefully inspected the damage. The front car had only a minor fender bender. Sonny's front was slightly dented and the rear was pretty torn up, but all in all, the car was still drivable. The back car's front was crushed and he would most likely not be driving away in it.

The woman tilted Sonny's head up to look at the small scratch on her forehead.

"Oh, sweetie, you should get that checked out," the woman revealed blood on her fingers. "Are you okay?" She turned to the man.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he spit on the ground, glaring Sonny down and removing his hand from his jacket.

"I'm going to call the police," the woman announced, pulling her cell from a massive purse. Sonny walked back to her car and prepared her license and registration for when the police showed up. She also grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the cut on her forehead.

Sonny found her cell phone and quickly dialed her mother, but only received her voicemail, "Hey Mom, it's Sonny. I just wanted to let you know that I've had a bit of an accident. The car is pretty messed up, you might want to call the insurance company. But don't worry. I'm absolutely fine. I'm going to head to the studio once we're done with the cops. Call me when you get this message."

She quickly redialed the phone to contact Marshall.

"Hello, Sonny, where are you? I thought you'd be back by now," he answered the phone.

"Sorry, Marshall, I just had a little accident, so I'm going to be kind of late. I should be back soon. You should probably start without me," she suggested.

"Well, we've been rehearsing all afternoon. It's mostly just your sketches we have to run through. Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly safe. It sounds like the police are hear. I'll see you soon. Bye, Marshall."

Sonny grunted as she finally drove into the Condor Studio parking lot. Her car was still grudging along, but desperately needed to be taken care of. She glanced at her watch – seven o' clock. She knew there would be a minimum of three hours of rehearsal and still having to deal with her mother. Even more importantly, she had yet to confront Chad and tell him how much she loathed his actions.

As Sonny marched through the parking lot, she saw Chad at the far front of the lot, preparing to leave.

"Chad Dylan Cooper!" Sonny shouted as she began to run in his direction. "Chad! Chad!"

Chad turned around, but instead of just seeing a frustrated Sonny, he also saw a large, black SUV coming up behind her. They were both a good hundred yards away from him, but he saw and heard everything as if it were right in front of him.

"Sonny, watch out!" Chad remembered screaming, just as the SUV clipped Sonny with its front corner, pushing Sonny into the air, flipping her around and around, and allowing her to free fall to the ground. "Sonny!" Chad flew over the door of his convertible and began racing towards Sonny's body as the SUV screeched away.

Before the car was gone, two notes were thrown out to the ground – a red and a white one. The red one had 'Sonny' written across it in black ink and the white one had 'Chad Dylan Cooper' nicely scripted across it in blue ink. Chad stuffed both letters into his leather jacket and knelt down next to Sonny's limp body.

He looked over her, looking at bruises and blood coming together in a nasty mix of color.

He hugged her tightly, hiding his face in her hair, "Oh my gosh, Sonny. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault!"


	5. The Alliance of Chad Dylan Cooper Fans

**Hi everyone! I'm very sorry this has taken me so long to update, all of FanFiction just fell away from me for a while. Thank you to everyone who has continued to read it, and when I received requests to continue, I couldn't say no. Enjoy!**

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"Sonny, this is all my fault! It's all my fault!" he cried out as his fingers made several attempts at dialing 911. A gash across her forehead dripped warm blood down her cheek and purple bruises were beginning to sprout in about every location. Although he could see no signs of severe damage, Sonny was very much injured, and very much unconscious. How fast did the vehicle have to be going to cause this kind of damage? To throw her so high in there air?

Finally, his fingers found the three-number sequence and connected to 911.

"Hello 911, please state the nature of your emergency," the phone recipient answered.

"This is Chad Dylan Cooper. Sonny Monroe has been hit by a car. We need an ambulance at Condor Studios immediately," Chad pleaded desperately.

"Okay, Mr. Cooper. Someone is en route and will be there in a matter of minutes. Now there are some things you can do to improve her chances of survival. Lay her down gently, how you found her, and tell me, is she breathing?"

Chad set Sonny down on the cement and put his face near her mouth and looked down to her chest.

"She has a very shallow breath, but she is breathing, yes."

"Good, that's very good!" the dispatcher assured. "Is she bleeding?"

"Only a few minor cuts. Overall, I would not say anything major, though she is bleeding pretty slightly from her head. I think she hit it."

"Is she conscious?"

"No. And I can't get her to wake up."

"Okay," the man on the other end thought. "Just keep checking her breathing and make sure she's not bleeding elsewhere."

"What do I do if she stops breathing?" Chad panicked.

"Do you know CPR, Mr. Cooper?"

"No!" Chad began to panic even more. He had a chance recently to take a class, but he decided to skip it for a lunch date with a model.

"All right, I will stay on the line with you, Mr. Cooper, until the paramedics arrive. Is anyone there with you?"

"No, I'm alone."

The man continued to talk Chad through the time until the sirens pulled into the parking lot. Chad hopped into the ambulance, not wanting to leave the mess he made.

Doctors instantly surrounded Sonny's gurney and pushed her into the back room, leaving Chad behind to pace the waiting room.

"Chad, we're sorry it took so long," Marshall raced in.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault," Chad continued to mutter. "I did this to her."

Upon hearing this, Nico and Grady became angry.

"You did what?" Nico outraged as he and Grady held Chad up against the wall by his shirt. Sonny was like their little sister, and hearing Chad, their sworn enemy, admit to having Sonny hit with a car was enough to set them off. Beyond his admission, they were both extremely tired from late night rehearsals due to Sonny's schedule.

"I had her parking space moved. If I hadn't done that, she would not have had such a far walk, and that car would not have been able to hurt her. I put her out in open space. It's all my fault," Chad accepted his punishment.

"Boys, settle down. Chad, it's not your fault," Marshall brought everyone back to reality. "Just as long as you did not hire the driver."

"I would _never_ do that," Chad swore. "Um, I have to use the bathroom." He pulled away from the group and snuck into the restroom.

Locking himself in a stall, he pulled out the two letters from his jacket pocket. Looking at the two, his curiosity won over as he tore the red letter wide open.

_Dear Sonny,_

_Poor, poor Sonny. We would like to say we were sorry, but we warned you. You knew this was coming, you knew we meant business. Thank God no one will ever see your face again. Thank God your awful voice will never again be heard. That screechy, nails-against-chalkboard voice of yours. One can only hope that So Random will now die, but that's giving you too much credit for keeping it alive in the first place. Goodbye, Sonny Monroe._

_Sincerely,_

_Well, do you really care? You're dead._

Chad's hands were shaking. Was this what Tawni meant about hate mail? This wasn't hate mail – this was downright harassment! He had people to take care of this kind of bullying. Why did she not come to ask him for help?

He was incredibly hesitant over opening the white letter. If they had to say such awful things about innocent Sonny, he could only imagine the vile words these people had for him.

_Dear Chad,_

_Oh-my-goodness! Even the thought of this piece of paper resting in your perfect hands and being read by your perfect eyes is enough to make us lightheaded. We took care of the Sonny problem for you – aren't you proud? No longer will that horrible face taint your amazingly awesome life ever again. You are free to continue making your genius show Mackenzie Falls in the peace and serenity of a healthy living environment. Only an actor as great as you could continue to produce perfect episodes with such crude distraction. You are a blessing to this earth and we were so thankful we were able to help you out in any way possible. You don't have to (we could not make you do anything), but please remember us small people when you are enjoying the silence of your day. Thank you for giving us this chance to be a part of your life._

_Sincerely,_

_The Alliance of Chad Dylan Cooper Fans_

"Oh my God, they did this _for_ me?" Chad whispered. He wanted to flush the letter down the toilet, just have it out of his hands and out of his life. But he knew this was evidence, and if he could do right by Sonny, he would turn these letters over to the police.

"Chad, are you in here?" Ferguson ran into bathroom. "Hey, man, we heard you and Sonny had an accident out in the parking lot. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Chad left the stall. "The car hit Sonny, not me."

"Well, at least it didn't hit anyone important, right?" Ferguson tried to get Chad to smile – thinking he was following Chad's own thoughts.

"She was hit by a car, Ferguson, what makes you think that's okay to say?"

"Sorry, man, my bad. Come on, let's go get something to eat."

"That's all right, I'm just going to stay in the waiting room and wait for her to come out."

"Dude, the doctors just said she may not even be able to have visitors for twelve hours. You're going to need to eat."

"Fine," Chad accepted.

"Pump her with another 20 cc's and start her on a morphine drip," Dr. Matthews ordered his trauma team.

"Doctor, her breathing has stopped," one of the nurses alerted.

"We need to tube her." The doctor quickly reached for the tube and tool used to slide it down her throat. "I'm in," he announced.

"I can't believe someone would just run her over with a car," one of the interns muttered once the action began to die down. "How do you do that to another human being?"

"Obviously someone didn't think she was all that funny. Poor thing, her career's over before it just got started."

"Marshall?" Lindsay came rushing through the doors. She still looked horribly banged up, but a few bruises was nothing compared to Sonny's condition. "I heard about the hit on TMZ. Is she okay?"

"Lindsay, calm down, calm down, we haven't heard anything," an exhausted Marshall explained. "We're all just waiting."

"Waiting?"

"Waiting."

"I did not sign up for this," Lindsay determined. "I was told I was going to assist a sweet young actress. It was going to be a couple of hectic weeks but she was never supposed to get hurt I was never supposed to get hurt. This was not supposed to happen!"

"Lindsay, did you know something was going to happen to her? Do you know who did this?" Marshall turned to her, hearing the deep guilt in her voice. "Lindsay, who hired you?"

Lindsay looked around to him, fear coursing through her eyes. "It was a small company who claimed they could get me in with a big celebrity. I had looked everywhere for an assistant position. Either the big names didn't want me or the small names didn't want to pay me. All that was needed was to keep detailed records of my celebrity – but it made sense. ETA's, address, schedule changes, and anything else that I needed to know about her life. Oh…my…you don't think they were the ones to do this to Sonny, do you?"

Marshall sat in silence, thinking over Lindsay's words. Finally, he spoke, "There's no way to know right now. But you need to speak to the police immediately!" Lindsay nodded and immediately walked over to one of the police officers as he finished talking to Chad after an hour of accusations.

"Sonny," Connie's voice tripped as she clung to the side of her daughter's hospital bed. "Sonny, please be okay." Her eyes trailed over the strings of tubing running from her daughter's arms. Her body twitched every few seconds when the machine breathing for Sonny clicked, sending a burst of air into Sonny's lungs and her abdomen rising. The thick tube running past Sonny's lips and down her throat only reminded Connie that her perfect daughter was unable to maintain her own life in that moment.

Sonny had already been to surgery to repair as much internal bleeding as the doctors could find on the various CT scans, but not even Dr. Matthews could promise her that they had found everything.

Each beep of Sonny's heart monitored reassured Connie that her daughter was still alive, but then instantly put her into an anxious panic until the next beep followed.

"Connie," Marshall crept into the room. "It's five in the morning. Please, let me take you home so you can get some rest. You're going to need your strength over the next few days."

"They told me that if she survived the next twenty four hours, her chances of living would increase by 50%. Do you know what that means?" Connie continued to play with the blanket that lay over Sonny's body.

"That there's great hope?" Marshall tried to lift her spirits with an optimistic guess.

"No, that Sonny has less than a 50% chance of living through the day. I cannot leave my daughter today, Marshall."

"Connie, that is not how statistics work – it is not addition. Sonny is in great hands. She is! And your daughter is _strong_, Connie. Sonny is the strongest girl I've ever met. You'd have to be to share a room with Tawni."

Connie only continued to stare at Sonny's damaged figure. "At least let me bring you some food. How do you like your coffee?"

"Just black," she whispered. Mrs. Monroe was barely a coffee drinker, but she barely had the energy to respond to the question, let alone make special requests. Moments later, Marshall brought back a cup of warm coffee, a toasted bagel, a bottle of orange juice, and two sliced apples. "Just eat what you can, when you can. When she wakes up, you're going to need your strength to take care of her." She only took the coffee from his hands and allowed him to set the other items on the nightstand next to her bed. "Connie, probabilities and statistics do not mean anything. Right now, in this moment, Sonny has a 100% chance of being alive. Sonny is not 50% alive nor 50% dead. Sonny is alive, Connie, and I'll tell you what, Sonny will survive."


	6. What Did You Do?

**Hi everyone! A little shorter chapter this time - enjoy!**

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"Not 50% alive? Marshall, do you see my daughter right now?" Connie choked. "She can't even breathe on her own, let alone sit up, walk around, and be a normal teenager."

"Connie, that's not what I meant. I just…" Marshall stuttered, not knowing how to combat her sudden declaration.

"You have seen Sonny when she was 100% alive – doing what she loved to do on your set. And by doing what she loved, by living, she was targeted and is now straining for life as we speak. She is fighting with everything she has, she has not won this battle yet, Marshall. How can you not see?"

"Look, I may not have known Sonny for as long as you have, but I know that when Sonny fights for something, she always achieves it. She may screw things up and stumble while doing it, but if life is what she is fighting for, then I only grasp tighter to what I said before. If life is what she is fighting for, Connie, then she will survive."

"Sonny is as good as dead," Chad sat in the waiting room next to Tawni. Both teenagers sat on a padded bench, hunched over knees, and scrunching blonde hair between manicured hands.

"Sonny never had a chance against that car. Why did fate have to target her?" Tawni shook her head.

"I couldn't do anything about it. She was gone so fast."

"Who's going to take her place in my dressing room, now? Her space can't be left bare."

"Are you two kidding me with this?" Zora, who had been trying to sleep behind the bench along the window ledge, sat up and leaned against the back of the bench. "Sonny's not even dead yet. The doctor said she still has a good, fighting chance. Why are you two already writing her obituary?"

"You didn't see her out there. Her face as she flew into the air and the sound her body made when it smacked upon the cement. You didn't have to read the letters. You don't have to know that this is all your fault!" Chad screamed out, burying his hands further into his hair.

"Stop saying that," Zora admonished. "The police already cleared you of any fault. Do you want to start a media field day? Sonny has enough to worry about."

"We tried to keep her away from you," Tawni shook her head. "We told her no good would come out of trying to bond the two shows. We should have been more insistent. We should have tied her up. We should have kept her locked away so she couldn't get hurt."

"Oh for the love of God," Zora exhaled and marched away to find some coffee. But before she could pour herself a cup, Sonny's voice filled her head with warnings against real coffee, and she quickly poured herself a cup of decaf. "Lindsay?" the young girl noticed Sonny's assistant crouched behind the coffee cart. "What are you doing down there?"

"I can't stand the way everyone looks at me, knowing this is all my fault. If I wasn't so stupid, none of this would have happened!"

"Come now, it wasn't just you," Zora tried to reason, swirling a sweetener into the coffee. "Mr. Condor should have researched your company before hiring you. It's not like him to hire lesser known companies, but it is like him to hire the cheapest things available for us. Besides, if what you told the police is true, you had no clue that what you were doing would cause her pain, or threaten her life."

"I might not have known, but by what I did, Sonny is in pain, and her life is in incredible danger. I was not in that car, but I was the mode by which they were able to attack her. I did not know their plans, but I fed fuel to that fire. I really should be arrested. It would be only right."

"But…" Zora began, but was quickly pulled away by a heavy set of hands.

"That is correct, miss," a deep voice, uniformed police officer lifted Lindsay to her feet. "After further investigation, we have determined to arrest you. You are being arrest for abetting a criminal operation and an accomplice to attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent…" the officer's voice faded off as he took Lindsay away from Zora, leaving the child alone, confused, and afraid herself.

"Zora?" Grady laid a hand on her shoulder. "I thought you were going to get some sleep? You didn't get any last night."

"Have you heard anything about Sonny?" Zora's breath finally hitched. Her bravery had finally drained.

"No," Grady pulled Zora into a hug. "Come on. I'll take you back to the studio. You can find a dark, quiet place to sleep there. Somewhere where it will be easier to fall asleep."

"I don't want my sarcophagus," Zora shook her head. "I really don't want to go back to the studio. Not yet."

"But there would probably be a really cool investigation scene for you to watch," Grady tried his best, seeing Zora was hurting and scared.

"Normally I would like that, but not when it was Sonny. I like blood, but I couldn't bear to see hers. Please, I don't want to go back there."

"Is there somewhere else I could take you? Do you want to go home? A park maybe?"

Zora froze, staring only at the ground. "I don't want to lose her, Grady. Sonny was the best thing that happened to me at So Random. She understands me, but is still a girl. It's not fair – to any of us."

"I know," Grady drew Zora in for a hug. "Sonny really was the best thing to happen to us. We just can't afford to think about life without her."

The jail cell was cold, and Lindsay could feel everyone's eyes piercing her like she was a piece of fresh meat.

"What're you in for?" someone finally spoke out.

"I…I…I…" Lindsay stuttered, not even knowing how she should respond.

"Speak up, girl!"

"I helped some people do some very bad things. I probably deserve to be here."

"Well that's a first," the woman laughed, smacking Lindsay on the back. "I'm Lexi. But don't let them hear you talking like that. It's fodder for court. So who's the prosecutor on your case?"

"I don't know yet, probably the District Attorney."

"They DA? What on earth could someone like you do to tick off the DA? It's not like you're the one responsible for running over little Sonny Monroe."

Lindsay fell silent.

"Please, tell me you are not responsible for running over Sonny Monroe," Lexi cracked her knuckles.

"I didn't know what was happening," Lindsay began stumbling backwards. "They used me. I wasn't in the car. I didn't know what they were planning." Lindsay smacked against the bars at the front of the cell, now being cornered by several women.

"What did you do?" Lexi pulled Lindsay up by her collar.

"Hey! Hands off!" The guard admonished.

"Sonny Monroe was our favorite person," Lexi dropped Lindsay back to the ground, but kept her cornered down. "She visits us every week, bakes us muffins, and writes to us from backstage. She's the only one who cares for us."

"I know! I know! That's why I deserve to be here. I didn't know what they had planned. I thought I was helping her as her assistant. But the company lied, they tracked Sonny down, wrote her threatening letters, attacked me, and then ran her over."

"You kind of people make me _sick_," Lexi marched to the back of the cell before turning back around. "You know, this is my fourth time returning to prison. For a different thing, no less. And each time I come back, all I have to look forward to is her sweet smile every once in a while. Without her, you've just condemned us all to hell."

"Mrs. Monroe, may we bring an extra bed in for you?" a nurse asked that evening before she left.

"It cannot be nighttime already," Connie asked defeated. "She was supposed to wake up tonight. Everyone keeps saying she's doing so well, but she's in the exact same situation she was yesterday."

"Well, Mrs. Monroe," the nurse picked up Sonny's chart. "I am not licensed to give any official information, but her vitals have been getting stronger, and…quite honestly, the simple fact that she is still with us is so great. She is a strong one."

"Yeah, she is," Connie smiled for the first time. "She's the strongest thing I have. I didn't know how I was going to single parent, but I'm fairly certain it was her single-childing that kept our relationship so tight. I owe her my life. I would give my life for her."

"She would never stand for that," the nurse shook her head and lay a hand on Connie's shoulder. "Now, how about that cot?"


	7. Family

**Thank you, everyone, for the very sweet response on the last chapter! I was able to pull out another chapter in less time than normal. Thank you for your audience and Enjoy!**

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"It has now been five days since the tween star, Sonny Monroe, was the victim of a directed hit and run in the parking lot of Condor Studios," CNN reported one morning. "Authorities have identified an extremist fan group of fellow tween star, Chad Dylan Cooper, as the alleged party responsible for the attack. Authorities have yet to identify any members of this group, and cannot say whether or not the group's actions were being dictated directly by Mr. Cooper himself. We attempted to contact Mr. Cooper for comment, but maintaining his five-day streak of media-alienation, Mr. Cooper had no comment to give…"

"Good morning, Sonny," one of the nurses, dressed in bright pink scrubs, walked in cheerfully. "And how are we feeling this morning?" the nurse reached over and fluffed Sonny's pillows, and shook out her sheets. "It's going to be a beautiful day, why don't we open this window? Some fresh air should be nice and this room is simply too dark." The nurse opened the curtains and cracked the window to let in a breeze of fresh air, filtering out the stale hospital smell which had accrued over time. "You received another bouquet of flowers today. Your fans really love you. I'm going to take a picture of the last bouquet so we can make room for this one. Though this makes at least thirty in only five days!"

The machines continued to beep steadily in the dim silence as Sonny continued to lay unconscious in her bed.

"I'm sorry your mother had to leave for a few hours. Her work had an emergency and needed her there in person. You should see her, working so diligently from this room every day. Ah, your head wound seems to be healing up so nicely! Your vitals are strong. There's nothing keeping you from coming back, Sonny." The nurse reached over and grabbed Sonny's hand. "I know it was really scary, Sonny. I know you had a really scary couple of weeks leading up to the attack, and I know the attack itself must have been terrifying. But I promise you, it is safe for you to come back. You have nothing to fear here. We will keep you safe here. But for your mom, and your friends who have been here every single day, it's time to wake up."

The nurse continued to squeeze Sonny's hand for a few moments, but when she failed to awake, the nurse was forced to leave to finish her rounds.

"Tawni, will you take me to see Sonny this afternoon? I have no money for the bus, and my parents won't have time to take me. Please?" Zora begged.

"Sorry, Zora, I have a press meeting this afternoon and an audition," Tawni frowned, yet did not sound too disappointed for Zora.

"That's all right, I guess I can ask Nico, or maybe Grady."

"See, there ya go! Nice sketches today, by the way. They'll be a hit this weekend."

"Thanks," Zora whispered as she ran out the door. "Nico! Grady!" the young girl caught them at the end of the hallway.

"What up Little Z?" Nico went to give Zora a high-five.

"Will one of you take me to see Sonny today? I'm having trouble finding a ride."

"Ooh, sorry, Zora," Grady sighed, but quickly smiled towards Nico. "This afternoon is the release of 'Three Mile Island Journal.' It's about Pennsylvanians who mutated after the accident, reintegrated into normal society, not knowing what had happened, and then, a few years later, find they have to feed on regular human DNA, just so they can maybe return to normal one day."

"Sounds…thrilling," Zora nodded. "All right, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, Zora, great job on those sketches today, I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time. I swear, you're the only one who can be funny in these hard times," Nico chuckled. "Keep it up!"

Zora smiled, but quickly scurried off. She _would_ have plenty of time to write sketches, since no one would take her to see Sonny.

"Why don't you ask Chad?" Marshall suggested after another failed attempt. "I know he hasn't seen Sonny in a while. It might be good for him."

"Marshall, you know Chad has isolated himself since he last left the hospital. Only the _Mackenzie Falls_ kids have seen him since. I've heard that not even his parents know where he is!"

"That's just not like Chad," Marshall scratched the line between hair and baldness on the top of his head. "I've never seen him avoid a media frenzy. Okay, well here," Marshall handed Zora a handful of bills from his wallet. "That should cover a bus ride to the hospital and a cab back home for you, as well as something for you to eat. Please, tell Sonny I say hello, and if you see her mother, give her my best wishes."

"Thanks, Marshall!" Zora glowed. "I'll bring back the change tomorrow!" the child yelled, running from the doorway, but before Marshall could refuse, she was gone.

"Hi, I'm here to see Sonny Monroe," Zora stood on her tiptoes to see over the nurse's counter.

"Ah, Zora, it's good to see you again," the nurse in pink scrubs smiled. "Sonny could really use a visitor today – her mom has been stuck with a work emergency all day. Just sign in for us?" she handed Zora a clipboard. "Great, go on in."

Zora waved to Sonny's security guard, standing alert at the doorway, and entered the lonely hospital room. Although the window had been open, the lights were left out by the hospital personelle, leaving the room dark and gloomy.

"That's better," Zora relaxed, flicking the fluorescent lights on. "Hey Sonny, how ya doing?" Zora laughed at the question as she pulled a chair next to Sonny's bed. "I'm sorry it's been a while since I've been here. Things have been kind of crazy. Oh! You wouldn't believe it, Marshall told me I could get a coffin to match my sarcophagus! At first he could not understand what the difference was, can you believe that? Some people just don't get it. But I finally convinced him it would be better than the sarcophagus for a sketch, and it's coming in the mail next week."

Unbeknownst to Zora, Sonny's heart rate, displayed on the monitor, began to drop from around 120 beats per minute to 100, 100 to 90, 90 to 85, and 85 steadily down as Zora continued to speak.

"Mr. Condor still wants us to have a show tomorrow night, I wish you could be there. We won't be able to do our sister sketch, so I guess Tawni, Grady, and Nico are just going to have to wait until next week to be beaten up by you." Zora shook her head, thinking of the fear in the trio's eyes when Sonny would come after them for picking on Zora. "I like pretending to be your sister. I've always been the only child, and I never thought I'd want a sister. But if you were my sister, I think that'd be pretty cool." Zora moved for the first time, only to run her finger's over Sonny's hand. "We miss you Sonny. It's not the same, and we want you back."

"Yes, we all do," a familiar voice came from the doorway. Zora looked up, expecting to see only one person, but instead found four. Tawni, Nico, Grady, and Marshall all stood at the edge of the doorway, looking guilty and nervous.

"What are you all doing here? I thought you were busy tonight," Zora asked quite puzzled.

"After you left," Nico began, "I guess we all started thinking about our priorities, and we figured out that there was nothing much more important than being here with you and Sonny."

"Yeah, sorry we made you travel here alone," Grady pulled a chair next to Zora. "I really should have given you a ride."

"No worries," Zora smiled, noticing Sonny's heart was holding a steady 70 beats per minute. "There was a homeless guy under my seat on the bus, and he gave me one of his teeth if I didn't tell the bus driver. I think I got the better end of the deal."

"So…how is she?" Tawni looked down, knowing she was glancing at only the shell of her cast mate.

"She's about the same. I really wish she would wake up. I…" Zora was cut off in mid-sentence by a sudden disruption coming from in front of her.

"What did you do?" Tawni gasped, fleeing towards the wall.

"Nico, go get a doctor or a nurse," Marshall gently nudged Zora away from the bed and leaned over Sonny, whose eyes had just opened. "Sonny, you are all right. Don't fight the tube. You're in the hospital."

Sonny, her eyes laced with panic, quickly found Marshall's hand and held on until a doctor arrived with the nurse in pink and quickly removed Sonny's breathing tube.

"Well good morning!" the nurse cheered.

"I'm going to ask you all to leave," the doctor looked forlornly towards the others in the room.

"No, please," Sonny pulled Marshall's hand more tightly. "I need them."

"All right," the doctor huffed, "But I must insist for you all to stand back and not interfere." Everyone agreed. "Sonny, do you know where you are?"

"Marshall said I was in the hospital," she responded, indeed believing her own words.

"Do you remember what happened to cause you to come here?"

"Um," Sonny cringed, rubbing her head. "I remember returning to Condor Studios, going to tell off Chad for sending me those letters, and then something hit me. I don't know what it was, but it hurt. Oh my gosh, how is Lindsay doing?"

A sobering silence fell over the room. "She was released on bail a couple of days ago, but her trial is in a week. But physically, she is healing quite well."

"What? She couldn't have been the responsible for this, Chad was!" Sonny rubbed her head again, feeling faint.

"We will explain this all to you when you're feeling better. Sonny, you've been comatose for five days. You were hit by a car while talking to Chad. But you are completely safe here."

"Where is my mom?" Sonny felt like crying, getting sick, and passing out all over again. The real world was too scary.

When the doctor looked to the others for the answer, Marshall quickly stepped up and explained the work emergency.

"I'll give her a call," Marshall offered, as soon as he realized a speedy excuse would not suffice.

"My head hurts," Sonny noticed her leg was wrapped by a light cast.

"We can give you something for that," the doctor nodded. "I know you've slept a lot this week, Sonny, but try to get some sleep. This can all be very overwhelming. Please, don't hesitate to page either of us if you need anything at all. I am very sorry this happened to you, Sonny, but we are going to take great care of you, I promise."

"Thank you, doctor," Sonny sunk down into her bed.

"She's awake?" Connie cheered, taking her phone call right in the middle of an important meeting. "I'll be right over!"

"Fantastic!" Marshall smiled. "But Connie, even though she was asking for you, if you need to finish something up, we're all here to watch over her until you can break free."

"Are you kidding me?" Connie laughed cynically. "Nothing is keeping me from my daughter right now."

Connie, although completely determined to get to Sonny that moment, could not predict for heavy traffic flow. If she thought she could make it by walking, she would have abandoned her car on the middle of the freeway. Nevertheless, she was stuck in the glob of traffic, and merciless to the random flow of cars.

"So are you telling me this wasn't by Chad? Because even I doubt he would try to kill me. Though…that one letter. It was signed by his fan club, so he must have sent someone!" Sonny exclaimed, holding tightly to Grady's arm.

"We don't think Chad knew anything about it," Tawni whispered. "He seemed just as shocked about it all as we were when we saw some of the letters. You should have called someone Sonny, you should have done something about it before it got this bad for you. You scared us all really badly! It's been a horrible week for us, and we still have to put on a show tomorrow night!"

"I know, I'm so sorry," Sonny frowned.

"It's not your fault," Zora retorted. "You were doing the best you could. But if you want, I could booby trap the _Mackenzie Falls_ set to get back at them for you."

"Thanks, Zora, but no thanks," Sonny pulled her into a tight hug and had Zora sit next to her on the bed. "I'm just so thankful for you all to be here. It makes me feel a little safer – like I can make a sound without being attacked."

"We're your family, Sonny," Grady declared.

"Yeah, nothing and no one is going to hurt you while we have a say about it," Nico added. "Just count us as your bodyguards!"

Before Nico could finish his final thought, three solid booms rattled across the doorway, before a red envelope was shoved beneath the doorway.

"No!" Sonny cried out, quickly covered by Zora and then Grady and Nico on top of the two. Sonny sat shaking like a puppy as Zora tried to soothe her with a gentle hushing sound. Grady stroked her back as Nico kept one eye on the group and the other on the rest of the room.

"Tawni, call down to the front desk and ask them to send extra security and a lockdown. Maybe we can catch one of these group confederates," Marshall ordered as he inspected the new letter. It simply read:

_Good Morning Sonny Monroe. Welcome to your Nightmare. _


	8. The Puppet Master

**Thanks everyone for reading - I love you :) Enjoy!**

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"I don't understand," Marshall paced the room while Sonny squeezed Zora like a teddy bear for protection. "You had a security guard standing watch, how did someone slip a note under the door?"

"What if it _was _the security guard?" Tawni gasped.

"No, no, Cameron has been with us since the day we opened. He would never do anything to hurt Sonny, then again, I expected more from him."

"Oh my gosh," Sonny cried. "My mom! Call her, tell her to stay away. I don't want them anywhere near her!"

"Sonny!" a violent rapping at the door called for the girl, causing her to flinch. The door handle jiggled as the woman on the other side tried her best to get through. "Sonny!"

"Mom?" Sonny finally recognized the panicked voice. "Mom!" Marshall quickly unlocked the hospital door and ushered Connie in. "Oh, thank God they didn't get to you."

"I'm so sorry, baby. I would have been here sooner, but I saw Cameron chasing someone through the lobby, and I was so worried they had grabbed you, so I went to chase him as well, but by the time I caught up to Cameron, the person was long gone. You're so ghostly white, baby."

"They dropped off another note," Sonny shook, never releasing her hold on Zora.

"It will be all right, Sonny," Connie guaranteed. "I'm so glad to have you back, Sonny." Connie caressed her daughter's face. "I just want to get you out of this horrid place and take you somewhere where you wouldn't have to experience this pain."

"I'm so sorry," Sonny shook her head. "It really is all my fault, I dragged you all through this and I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Connie said sharply. "It is those monsters who thought running you over was a good thing. Oh Lord, I had to hear Chad's statement about what happened. They could have taken you from us, Sonny."

"Chad! I need to talk to Chad," Sonny determined abruptly.

"No one has seen Chad since he left the hospital five days ago. We think he's residing him Studio Two, and refusing to leave," Zora explained. "Do you really want to talk to him?"

"I don't think you two interfacing is the best idea," Connie cautioned. "We don't need those people kicking up a war over you demanding to see Chad."

"No, it might actually be a good idea," Marshall stopped pacing for only a second. "The important first step is to make this group seem like a drastic minority. If we can get even a picture of Chad visiting Sonny in the hospital, and get the general public to like it, then we've conquered step one of bringing them to justice."

"I just want to see him," Sonny declared. "I need to know if he wanted this. _I_ need to ask him to his face."

"Give me thirty minutes," Zora stated, jumped off the bed, and walked out the doorway.

"Let me through," Zora faced Chad's security guard, who was twice her size in every direction.

"No one sees Mr. Cooper without expressed permission by Mr. Cooper. And Mr. Cooper has not given anyone expressed permission to see Mr. Cooper," the security guard stated plainly in a broad, bass voice.

"What is your name?" Zora challenged, crossing her arms in disapproval.

"Buzz," the guard copied her stance.

"Well, _Buzz_, I will have you know that I have Chad's best interest in mind, as I have a particular subject which will greatly interest him."

"And that interest would be?"

"Sonny Monroe. She's awake, asking to see him."

"Oh," Buzz paused. "Little girl, you do not have clearance to pass. I apologize. Please give Miss Monroe my best wishes."

"Buzz, Mr. Condor is about to give Sonny everything she ever wanted to pay her back for what happened in his parking lot. And if Sonny wants Chad Dylan Cooper, she is going to get Chad Dylan Cooper. Understand?"

"Zora, go away!" Chad called from the other side of the door.

"See, Miss? I cannot let you through. I work for Mr. Cooper, not Mr. Condor. Goodbye now."

Zora huffed and marched off, but she was not quite through. She ran around the corner, and began screaming. "Oh no! Buzz, I need you quick! Ahhhh!" Buzz darted around the corner. While he knew he Chad did not want his door abandoned, Chad also warned against letting crime happen in his hallway, where he could be sued. "Gotchya!" Zora shouted as she stuck her leg out, tripping Buzz as he rounded the corner. She darted towards Chad's room and blew through the doorway.

"Zora?" Chad shouted. "You did _not_ have permission to enter my studio without my permission. Get out, _now!_"

"No," Zora glared down a raggedy, five o- clock shadowed Chad. "Sonny just woke up. She's terrified and trying to piece things together in her traumatized mind. Now I suggest that unless you want her to blame you forever, you get yourself cleaned up and your butt down to the hospital."

"Sonny might as well blame me for this! It was all my fault anyway. They're my fans. I did this to her."

"No, you didn't. She's even blaming herself right now for making everyone worry. Don't add yourself to her list of worries. Even if you just get cleaned up and show your face so that she knows you're all right, because as far as she knows, you were run over by that car too."

"Then tell her I'm fine, but let her think what she wants of me. I did this to her, and there is _nothing_ that can take it back."

"You really only do care about yourself, don't you? Do you even care about what the tabloids are saying about you because of your silence?"

"They can think of what they want of me as well. Just because I don't want to exploit Sonny's pain, doesn't mean I'm a terrible person."

"No, but denying Sonny the chance of seeing you does. Marshall was right, one shot of the two of you together, and it could set a wave in motion to protect Sonny. If you even cared for her a very little bit, you would come now."

"Mr. Cooper, are you all right?" Buzz pounded on the locked door. Zora knew that he could barge in any moment, and she would be forcible removed – left to have to find another way in.

"Yeah, Buzz, I'm fine, Zora was just leaving," Chad sighed.

"Only if you're coming with me," Zora planted her feet.

"Why did they choose you to come anyway? Why not Tawni or Marshall, or heck, why not Mr. Condor if it was _that_ important to Sonny?"

"Because, I'm the only one who won't take orders from you. And…I'm the most persistent."

"So what you're saying is that you won't stop annoying me until I go to the hospital to see Sonny."

"Bingo, brother."

"I'm not your brother. Let's go, I'm driving."

"So, how badly was I injured?" Sonny was finally calm enough to cut the nervous tension in the room. "I mean, I see the partial cast, but that's it?"

"Did you want to be hurt worse?" Connie laughed.

"No, but I just assumed…"

"Your leg has a minor fracture, but it was so small the doctor thinks it should be in walking condition by the time you leave here. You did have quite a bit of internal bleeding, but they repaired it with surgery when you were brought in."

"Surgery!" Sonny jumped running her hand under the covers so she could feel along her stomach, indeed feeling the sutures which held her skin together. As her finger grazed her ribcage, she let out a hampered shriek.

"And you broke a rib," Connie quickly explained. "Your doctor had to drill only two holes into your skull to release some pressure that had built up around your brain. He suspected that was what had you comatose, though he didn't expect you to be down for so long. The rest are just superficial cuts and bruises."

Sonny examined her arm. It was practically dyed red and purple from the scratches and bruises patching every inch of skin. She was much too afraid to touch her head to search for the holes.

"So, in short, you really are more injured than just a fractured leg."

"How much longer do I have to be here?" Sonny inquired, looking to Marshall, hoping he wanted her out much sooner than later for the show.

"They said it will be indefinitely. We all want you healed up and safe before leaving," Marshall broke Sonny's hope. But although she had desperately wanted to leave the hospital, it was not necessarily her home she wished to return to, but rather a place of normalcy. She knew life would still not be normal until those doing this to her were stopped, but as long as she remained in the hospital, nothing would be normal for any of them.

"So why have you not told the press that you don't support the people who did this to Sonny?" Zora quizzed Chad as he slowly maneuvered through the freeway traffic.

"Because I don't understand what's going on right now, no one does. And if the press doesn't understand, then they start making up stories and lies about what happened," a freshly cleaned Chad waved his hand around the air.

"You've been locked away for too long! They're doing that now."

"Perhaps, but they _don't_ have my words to exacerbate the stories."

"No, you're right. They have much worse – your silence," Zora pressed.

"Then why don't the police say something? I've talked to them, I've helped the case. It's in the official's hands now."

"Look, it was _your_ fans who did this to Sonny. Whether you asked them to or not, they need to be told no. They need to be told to stay away from Sonny. Otherwise, Sonny may not survive the next attack. She was already given another note – just moments after she woke up. Meanwhile, Lindsay's sitting in a jail cell, thinking this is all _her_ fault for her actions in aiding _your_ fans."

"Stop it right there. I am no puppet master. Now you stop this talk, or I kick you out here and I go back to the studio."

"And you don't think the rest of us are in danger too? What happens when they get bored with Sonny, or worse…And then they realize she wasn't the only Random you despised?"

"I don't despise her!" Chad burst, nearly swerving into the other lane. "That's not how I feel at all."

"Oh really, with all that you've put her through recently? The reservations, the broken screen, the parking space! If you don't despise her, you sure have made her feel like it."

"That's because I'm an idiot," Chad muttered, and then the car fell coldly silent.


	9. Who Can Protect Her?

**Hi Everyone :) So I think I'm finally getting back into the rhythm of this story (probably shouldn't have left it for as long I as did). I think it's ready to progress into the final stage, but that could put out any number of chapters. Thank you everyone for reading and the incredibly kind reviews, they really made my day.**  
**Enjoy!**

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"Oh," was all Zora had to respond with. "You're kidding, right?"

"I really wish I was," Chad clutched the steering wheel.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Zora shouted, but quickly brought her voice back to a whisper. "She would have been dense enough to give you chance."

"That's why I couldn't say something. I couldn't get her hopes up and then hurt her. That's what I do, Zora, I hurt people. Actresses, supermodels, random fan girls. I once dated another actress so I could distract her so that _Mackenzie Falls _would win an award. That's the kind of person I am. I kicked that puppy on purpose. The rest of you were smart enough to realize that. Why couldn't she?"

"Maybe she just had higher hopes of you. Maybe she was trying to give you that chance already."

"No, the kind of person I am could never be seen dating a Random. I would only wind up hurting her when push came to shove and I needed the extra leverage."

"You need therapy, brother."

"I'm not your brother! Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't do therapy, but he's smart enough to know that good people like Sonny do not wind up with people like me."

"May Chad and I have the room, please?" Sonny quietly asked everyone to leave. One-by-one, they all filed out, even though not one wanted to. Sonny and Chad stared at one another for several minutes, no speaking, no blinking. Simply staring.

Chad, while maintaining complete eye contact, examined every one of her injuries. He noted her pale skin against the dark bruises. Her heart monitor constantly beeping faster than normal and an elevated blood pressure. The way she flinched slightly whenever there was a sudden noise outside the room. How her mind raced while she sat pensively, trying to figure him out.

Sonny could barely see through Chad. The boy stood in front of her, but she was now void of thoughts and words.

"Did they ever show you the letter?" Chad finally spoke up.

"Which one?" Sonny cocked her head, forgetting the silence instantly.

"Either of the two they threw out the window after they…after the accident."

"No. All I remember is the letter I got the day of _the accident_, it was signed by your fans. That's why I was coming to look for you. I know everyone told me you had nothing to do with it, but I need to know, Chad, I need to hear it from you," Sonny looked up and caught another eye lock with Chad. "Did you send them after me?"

Chad wanted to throw some half-witted comment in her face, just to try to keep her away. After all, if he infuriated her at this moment in her life, she would never forgive him, and he would not have the chance to hurt her. But then again, was she not already hurt? She was lying in a hospital bed, after a week of being comatose, after a week of fighting for her life. Longer than a week – she just did not recognize the danger. He could not cause her any more distress. Not today. "No, Sonny, I didn't send anyone after you. I wouldn't do that."

"But it was signed by your fans. You have them tied around your finger, Chad, they would do _anything_ for you. They don't move until you tell them to," Sonny's voice hitched, finding she didn't quite believe him.

"Sonny, I didn't even know this group existed. They're not part of my official fan club. I mean, the _Mackenzie Falls_ – _So Random _rivalry is no secret. My fans all know about it. Some must have taken it to another level."

"I thought that's what happened…"Sonny faded off, twisting her blanket.

"Thought what?"

"That it really was my fault," Sonny lay back against her pillow, trying to keep the tears in her eyes. "When I came, the feud was just a feud, then I stirred things up."

"No," Chad's walls opened briefly as he rushed to her side, kneeling down and grabbing her hands. "Sonny, no. I don't who's to blame for this. But I do know it's not you. If anyone, it really was me. Maybe I tweeted the wrong thing, posted the wrong picture, made the video. Even if you may have stirred something up, I was the fuel to keep the fire burning. You said it yourself, my fans don't move unless I tell them to. In other words, there is nothing you could do to make them angry with you."

"How did we get here, Chad? I'm not even safe here – we got another note today. I think my guard was distracted by a decoy so they could slip it under the doorway. I'm so scared," Sonny grabbed him with one hand behind his head and the other on his shoulder. She buried her head into the crook of his neck, her tears finally breaking.

"I'm sorry, Sonny," Chad stood up, removed her hands from his body, and set her gently back in her bed. "I'm so sorry, but I can't." Chad stumbled to the doorway, wiping her tears from his neck, along with the memory of her crumbling into the hospital bed, a terrified mess.

"Chad?" Connie stood immediately to see what had been said.

"Mrs. Monroe, Sonny needs you. Other than that, I expect no more interruptions. I have a lot of work to do. Goodbye."

"Chad, wait!" Zora leapt off the hospital bench and grabbed his wrist.

"Get off me!" Chad flung his wrist away, accidentally throwing the weaker, ten-year-old to the ground as well. The room fell silent, a thousand judging eyes pierced Chad. But all Chad could do is look at the steaming brunette sitting on the ground.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Zora warned. "Just tell her the truth. Is it really worse than _this_?"

"Zora, if you understood, then you wouldn't be asking that question." Chad shook his head and marched out of the hospital.

"Sonny, great news," Connie smiled as Sonny aroused from a long night's sleep nearly three weeks after the accident. "You get to go home today."

"What?" Sonny's face was void of expression.

"I know, isn't it exciting? I was talking to your doctors this morning, and they said they see no need to keep you here any longer! Why don't you take some time to get cleaned up, and we'll start the sign out process as soon as your ready."

"But they haven't caught those responsible, yet, have they?" Sonny remained glued to her bed as Connie drew all of the windows open.

"No, but they're working on it," Connie replied reasonably. "Aren't you excited to be leaving here, Sonny? To be leaving this nightmare behind?"

"Of course I am," Sonny forced a smile. But in reality, Sonny did not even believe the her own words. The nightmare was not over. It was waiting right outside the door, waiting to ambush, waiting for her. Here, in the hospital, there was one doorway to access her, and there were now two guards protecting that entrance. But just as Sonny was about to admit this to her mother, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Sonny?" Tawni peeked her head in.

"Hey, Tawni," Sonny smiled. Tawni had only visited Sonny a handful of times in the hospital, but each time, the blonde made her smile from ear to ear, and perhaps for a minute, made her forget about life.

"I'm going to start filling out paperwork," Connie kissed Sonny on the top of the head and shuffled out the door.

"I brought some clothes for you," Tawni laid a neatly folded pile of Sonny's clothing on her bed. "You left them in the room, but I had them cleaned for you."

"Thanks Tawni," Sonny ran her hands over the clothing – a normal pair of jeans and a red t-shirt Sonny would wear after taxing shows.

"You don't have to be scared," Tawni declared while Sonny changed into the clothing, finding relief in simply having something of hers for the first time in nearly three weeks. Tawni could read Sonny like an open book, and Sonny knew it. There was no point in trying to hide.

"But if I'm not scared, that's when they'll come," Sonny phrased poignantly. "That's when they'll strike."

"And if you're scared, that's when they'll win. Maybe that's the nightmare the note was referring to."

"I really hope so," Sonny faked a smile. Tawni pretended like she believed it, when they both knew they did not.

"I have an idea," Tawni sat down on Sonny's bed as Sonny struggled to get her jeans on. "Why don't you come spend some time with me in my apartment."

"I can't just abandon my mom to deal with them," Sonny fret.

"Oh yes you can," Mrs. Monroe entered the room unexpectedly with a handful of half-completed papers in her hand. "Tawni, I think that is a great idea. We won't tell anyone at all where you are," she turned back to Sonny. "We'll just say you went away. They won't bother me, Sonny, and if they do, I'll make them pay for what they did to you. Fair enough?"

"All right," Sonny finally relaxed a bit. "I don't think it will make everything better, but I think it might help."

"And of course, Mrs. Monroe, you're welcome to come visit whenever you'd like," Tawni insisted.

"Thank you, Tawni," Connie looked forlornly at Sonny's cast mate. "I'd love to, but I think it's best if I don't give them a chance to follow me and track Sonny down. We'll talk constantly on the phone though, baby," Connie turned to Sonny. "And we'll skype plenty. Now let's go before anyone gets wind that you're leaving. The faster we can sneak you out, the fewer people will know where you are."

Connie quickly rushed all of the paperwork through as Tawni snuck Sonny out to her car with Sonny's bags. Connie would take home all of the fan gifts and kind letters from those truly worried about Sonny. Although Sonny had been inundated with love mail, she could only ever focus on the handful of horrible ones.

"Just stay low until we get out of the hospital range," Tawni instructed and swiftly pulled from the parking garage.

"You've done this before," Sonny giggled.

"Well, you know you have to learn how to dodge the paparazzi when you're as famous as I am. Maybe you'll learn too someday." Suddenly, an older woman with a walker almost stepped right in front of Tawni's speeding SUV. "Watch where you're going Grandma!" Tawni yelled. Although Sonny doubted the woman could hear Tawni, she still stopped, knocked Tawni's hood with the walker, and slowly passed by. "Some people in this town are so _rude_," Tawni shrieked.

Sonny felt a strange spasm run from her sternum up through her cheeks. It took her a second to realize what was happening, but then she realized, for the first time since the first letter had been hand delivered to her by Josh, she was laughing.


	10. One of the Skirts

**Hi again :) This chapter just got way out of hand in length - my bad. Thanks for reading and Enjoy!**

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"All right, so here's the deal," Tawni carried in Sonny's bags. She was not accustomed to carrying other people's stuff, but Sonny's leg was still very weak, her arms sore, and she had the tendency to get headaches and dizzy spells. "I protect you, let you stay in my apartment, maybe even teach you a thing or two about room design, and you make me those homemade dinners a couple times a week."

"Are you suggesting that you think my Midwestern ways actually have a benefit?" Sonny snickered. It was the first time Tawni ever cherished something Sonny had to offer from Wisconsin.

"_No_, I just think a homemade meal might be nice for a change, and last time I tried cooking something…well…"

"I know, you almost lit my apartment on fire."

"_That _was you, Miss Sonny. Don't think because you hit your head, that I'm going to let you change details of the past. Now, this is your room…" Tawni began the tour of her penthouse apartment. Sonny, though only half-listening, approved of the living accommodations. She knew Tawni would take care of her.

"You let them hurt my daughter," a man burst through the door to Marshall's office.

"Excuse me?" Marshall stood up, reaching for his security button. "I don't know who you are sir, and I…I don't know who your daughter is?" Marshall was beginning to sweat from nervousness as this powerful man hovered above him. Not only did he stand a foot above Marshall, he was even wider than the producer, only in muscle. Though Marshall had never seen the man before, he did have something familiar about him.

"Your people won't even let me into the apartment to make sure she's still alive."

"Sir, who are you?" Marshall kept it together as best as possible.

"Are you dull? I'm Sonny Monroe's father. They won't let me into the apartment, I practically had to pay off the guy at the front door just to come see you! I've been traveling nearly a week since I heard she was injured under _your_ watch. Now tell me, where is Sonny?"

"Sonny's been sent away to somewhere safe," Connie fed the lie to their neighbor, Mr. Franklin.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Franklin was taken aback. "You don't think the safest place is with her mother?"

"I thought that once upon a time, but now I'm not even so sure. I can only protect her so much, you know? It's best where she is."

"But aren't you worried about her? Don't you want to hold her tight to make sure she isn't in danger? I mean, what if someone's after her right now? She'd be completely defenseless against them! They could find her and you would never know," Mr. Franklin was almost becoming aggressive towards Connie.

"Mike, please. This is a very hard and scary time for all of us. I believe I am keeping Sonny safe by sending her away where they can't touch her."

"You could be in danger yourself, Connie, what if they come after you next?"

"I don't believe that's going to happen. They were in this for Sonny. It was her window, her assistant, her accident. And as much as I hate to use my daughter as a security wall, I don't believe I'm at any risk as long as she's alive."

"Will you at least tell me where she is so I may send her a get well package?"

"I'm sorry, Mike, but there are only a couple of people who know where she is, and we're not telling anyone."

"But I'm not just anyone. I've been somewhat involved in this myself. Ever since I saved her assistant's life."

"And you know we are forever grateful for that, but we just can't risk it, Mike."

"How about a phone number, just so I can give her a call?"

"I can't do that for you either. We almost lost her once, Mike, we're not taking any chances of losing her a second time."

"I understand," Mr. Franklin ran his hand over his head and moved towards the doorway. "Connie, they're going to come for you too. They'll use you to get to her," he cautioned in a knowing tone. "I don't want to see anything happen to you. And when Sonny comes out of hiding because she won't let them hurt you, I don't want to see the pain in your eyes across every television screen as she sacrifices herself to save you. Do yourself a favor, bring Sonny out of hiding, or go away yourself." With that, Mr. Franklin left the Monroe's apartment.

Connie glared at the doorway for a long time. How dare he try to tell her how to handle the situation. Their predicament was challenging enough as it was without a neighbor tell Connie how to parent. And had he not essentially told her to use Sonny to protect herself. Had he not suggested that Sonny was as good as gone anyway and that she might as well not get in the middle if she could help it? How dare he?

But Connie's blood-boil was cut short when the phone rang. "Hello?" Connie sighed heavily into the phone, letting the person on the other end know she was not willing to talk for long to just any stranger.

"Connie? It's Marshall. There's someone down here, and I think you should come talk to him. He's looking for Sonny."

"Excuse me?" Connie jumped. "Who is it?"

"He claims his name is Nicholas Monroe, does that name mean anything to you."

"Lord, not today," Connie whimpered. "I'll be right down, Marshall, and tell him I'm coming. _Don't_ let him bully you into anything, don't let him push you around. I don't want him having access to her either until I allow it. He has no legal right."

"Of course," Marshall nodded, know the man could break him in half in a moment. "Please hurry."

"I'm walking out the door now. Don't let him near her." Connie ran through the apartment, grabbing her shoes, coat, keys, and wallet. Why did everything have to fall on her at once?

"Zora, these sketches are fantastic!" Sonny shrieked in between hysterical laughter. Everyone sat around the prop room, simply listening to Sonny laugh. It was a sound they had all dearly missed, and quite frankly, were now stuck with. They had been locked into the prop room all morning, no one in or out without access from Marshall's or Mr. Condor's key. Not one member minded, though. It was a great excuse for them to sit around all day, writing sketches, telling jokes, and laughing until they could not breathe. Even lunch would be catered in to them – of course after being thoroughly checked by Murphy and the other guards.

"Aren't they great?" Grady commented. "Zora's become quite the writer in her spare time."

"What can I say, I'm hilarious in times of horror," Zora shrugged nonchalantly.

"I just can't get over how you pieced things together. Totally non-related things make so much sense they way you have it constructed. It's genius!"

"You know what I can't piece together," Tawni interrupted, having her fill of Zora-time, "is why you bailed Lindsay out of jail. She did this to you."

"Lindsay was no more responsible than Chad for being the role model and moving my parking space or me for reinstating the feud," Sonny shrugged.

"She fed them the information on how to get you."

"She was also in the hospital for a long time from her own attack. She was just a pawn in their scheme, but an unknowing pawn. I can't blame her for any of it. If she did have a price to pay for her actions, I think three weeks in prison was absolutely plenty. I only feel bad that I didn't ask about her sooner, because I would have ordered it to be done immediately. I hold nothing against her. She'll have to face her day in court, unfortunately, soon enough. But for the meantime, I don't see why she can't enjoy freedom. Plus, she's more help to the police by giving them as much information as she knows to help them track down the people."

"She would have given them that information eventually anyway," Tawni scoffed. "As soon as the D.A. mentioned a plea deal, she would have sold out her counterparts for maybe a couple months and then probation."

"I don't want her to have to make a plea bargain. I want her to be free – this wasn't her fault. And until I find out otherwise, I'm holding to that belief." Sonny stood her ground.

"Nick?" Connie marched through Marshall's office, glaring down the man she once loved.

"Where is she, Connie?" he crossed his arms, ensure to expose his firm muscles – the ones Connie once found irresistible, but now detestable.

"You aren't on the clearance list to know where she is," Connie followed his stance. Even though she was nothing physically compared to him, the two egos were completely even. "She's in hiding and she's safe. That's all you need to know."

"Clearly she's not safe! Do you know what happened to her? You told a judge once that she would only be safe in your hands, and he believed you. But is she safe under your care? Not one bit. I want to see my daughter."

"Don't you even try to talk to me in that tone. This is not my fault. What happened to Sonny was a tragedy. It was horrible. But it was unstoppable and it is now irrevocable. And where were you when this happened? Where have you been for the last three weeks? If you cared about her, you would have come straight here. But no, I had to sit alone in a hospital room with Sonny's body for a week, and then two weeks with our terrified daughter until she was finally released."

"I didn't get the news until last week, and I've been working day in and day out to come back here. News doesn't come as often in Africa as it does here. And why did you not give me a call as soon as you found out she was hurt? I'm her father, I had a right to know."

"No! You didn't! There was a time when I tried to keep you involved in her life, but you were always running to Africa or Asia or South America to find the newest and greatest medical treatment. So I stopped, Nick, I stopped when we both realized you didn't care. You think you're always saving lives, well what about Sonny's? Huh? What about your own daughter's life? You weren't there when she needed you the most."

"That's not fair, Connie, that's my job. It's what I do to pay you that outrageous child-care bill every month!"

"If it weren't for that _job_ in the first place, you wouldn't be paying that bill every month. Besides, you should be giving Sonny everything you can. You're not paying me, you're paying her."

"That's right, I'm paying her, and I have kept up every month with every payment. Now I have a right to see my daughter."

"Do you think she trusts you? You haven't been in her life at all, and now, when she is most vulnerable, you decide to pop back in? Sonny needs to be surrounded with those she knows, those she loves, those who protect her every single day. She doesn't have it within her right now to try to trust anyone new, Nick. And when you walk away again, it might just break her."

"Connie, please," Nicholas finally let his arms fall to his side. Connie had won. "She's my daughter," he pleaded. "I love her with my whole heart. I still carry this picture of her and me in my wallet," he pulled out the old picture. It had been taped over and laminated several times to keep it from falling apart, but wear and tear still presented itself. The picture was of Sonny at only three years old in Nicholas' arms. Sonny wore a soft green sun dress and Nicholas was in a white polo. The two were laughing, both with the same toothy grin. "I look at this every night before I fall asleep and I say a prayer just for her safety and happiness. When I wake up in the morning, it is the very first thing I see. I love her, Con, and I am so worried about her."

"Then do us all a favor and leave, Nick, she doesn't need this right now."

"Please, reconsider."

"Nick, by telling you where she is, I would be putting her at danger. To get you clearance, she would have to know you were here, and then there still isn't a guarantee that you would get clearance. Her boss, Mr. Condor, is a very tight man. He will only look at applicants for clearance after Sonny has said yes, and it would be very likely he would say you are not necessary in her life."

"I don't want Sonny thinking I would ignore what's been happening. I'm not that kind of father. I may not have been present very much, but that's because you two didn't need me. I know I would only complicate things in the good times, and I don't ever want to see that smile of hers go away. And though I don't only want to be present in the bad times, she needs me. No…I need her. I trust you when you say she's all right, but I need to see her for myself. I need to see that she's all right."

"She's not all right, Nick. You're looking for your smiling, unscathed Sonny. That's not what you're absolutely going to find. She's been happier than she has been for a long time, true, but she hasn't healed completely. But she's alive."

"Connie, if you just let me see her, I won't leave again. I won't go. I'll get a job here in LA, I'll give her everything I have. You're right, she needs stability right now, and I'll give it to her."

"You know, Nick," Connie sighed. "I have often thought to myself that you're not the normal ex-husband. You were a horrible husband," Connie admonished, causing Nicholas to face the ground – knowing she was right. "But you were, you can be a wonderful father. I'll talk to Mr. Condor."

"You don't have to," the recognizable voice popped from the doorway. "If Sonny agrees, I'll say yes."

"Me too," Marshall nodded once, half-ready to cry from the scene, half-terrified that any other answer would get him crushed.

"So how do we contact her to ask her?" Nicholas straightened up eagerly.

"You just let me handle that," Marshall demanded. "In the meantime, the three of you wait here."

"Are you telling me what to do?" Mr. Condor cocked his head.

"Uh…Um…Uhm…No, of course not, Mr. Condor. I was simply suggesting that you maybe stand guard over these two. He still does not have clearance, and I would hate for anything to happen to Mrs. Monroe…If that's all right with you, sir?"

"Just go," Mr. Condor rolled his eyes. Marshall scurried off towards the prop room.

"Hey kids," Marshall crept into the prop room.

"All right, food's here!" Nico practically crawled over top of Tawni in order to get to Marshall.

"Um, not yet, it's only eleven, Nico. Lunch isn't until one."

"But I was so excited," the boy almost began crying.

"What's up, Marshall?" Sonny tried to drown out a laugh.

"Sonny, there's a man here who's asking to see you. We've all given him permission, but it's really up to you whether you want to see him or not."

"Chad?" Sonny guessed. She knew it had to be someone they all knew – they would not let random strangers just walk in.

"No, I'm sorry, Sonny, Chad hasn't been here at all. His name is Nicholas," Marshall hinted without wanting to give too much away in front of the others.

"Oh," Sonny caught on immediately, her face falling. "Why is _he_ here?"

"He's worried about you."

"Who's that?" Tawni asked, visibly upset a secret was being held above her head.

"He's agreed to stick around this time, if you want him to," Marshall added.

"I'd like to see him," Sonny nodded, her breath hitching as soon as she said the words. "But would you guys mind if I saw him alone?"

"Absolutely," everyone stood immediately to leave the room, even if Tawni had to be dragged out by Nico and Grady.

"Hey kid," Nicholas stood in the doorway,

"Why did you come?" Sonny questioned, refusing to turn around to look at him.

"I was worried about you. I came to make sure you were going to be okay."

"You came to yell at Mom, didn't you? And when they wouldn't let you near her, you came to yell at Marshall. I'm right, aren't I?" Sonny spun around and caught his eyes.

"Yeah, that was definitely on the agenda," he took a few steps forward and pulled a chair up next to the sofa. "But I wouldn't travel across the world to yell at your mother and I man I never knew. I would only come for you, kid." Nicholas went on explaining his whole story of how he hitchhiked, jumped a ride on a fishing boat, rode in the storage compartment of a private plane, and negotiated his way through six US cities until he finally landed in LA.

"Marshall said you'd stay this time, what does that mean?"

"It means, Sonny, that I've already called my boss and told him that I was quitting. It means that I'm willing to take up some position here. Whether that means medical researcher or night club bouncer – I'd do anything to be here for you right now. It was wrong of me to be gone so much, but you and your mother didn't need me the way I needed you. You didn't need to see me and your mother constantly arguing from me being around, begging all the time to see you. So I removed myself from the picture. But now, now I think you do need me, and I'm willing to stay."

"It's not possible for you to remove yourself from the picture," Sonny dug through her purse and pulled out the same picture Nicholas kept close, though it was in much better condition. "It's been written in history forever."

The large man stared with joy and fear down at the picture. She still loved him, but had he betrayed that by thinking he knew better to leave instead of stay.

"But I really need my daddy right now," Nicholas' concentration was broken as tears began to fall down Sonny's face. "I'm so scared, and I try to smile, I can even find it within me to laugh, but in the back of my mind, I'm always picturing what happened. Never knowing if there's another car waiting just around the corner, of if there's something worse…"

Nicholas wrapped Sonny in his arms. "I'm going to protect you, kid. They're never going to hurt you again. I promise you."

Sonny, relaxed slightly, falling deeper into the embrace of her father. She was completely enveloped by her father's arms – actually being shielded from the rest of the world. Sonny finally caught her breath and began to calm down.

"Nick, where are you staying tonight?" Connie stepped into the prop room, her arms crossed and voice tense, even though her heart was warmed by the scene before her.

"I just got into LA this morning. I didn't have time to make any reservations. I'll find some cheap motel and put up for a few nights there until I can find something," he shrugged.

"No, why don't you just crash on the couch in our apartment. That will keep you closer if she needs you anyway," Connie shrugged. She really did not want to deal with his snoring, his laziness, or his messes, but regardless of how she felt towards him, her love for Sonny trumped it all. "She's not living in the apartment right now, but that's all right. We need to talk if you're staying here – about visiting arrangements."

"Yes, I suppose we do," Nicholas squeezed Sonny.

"We better go before anyone spots us," Connie walked over and pulled Sonny to her feet. "You are so precious to us, Sonny. Stay safe tonight, you girls have fun, but not too much fun."

"I love you guys. I'll call you later, okay?" Sonny called, waving goodbye to her parents. Unfortunately for Sonny, Connie and Nicholas hadn't left soon enough.

Portlyn skipped by Chad's dressing room on the way to her own when she noticed his very large pile of Chad's fan mail sitting on the table outside his room. Portlyn, having the curiosity of a three year old as well as the cognitive filter of one to boot, could not help but wonder what actually was inside one of Chad Dylan Cooper's fan letters. He would never notice if one was missing – he probably had not even looked at his fan mail the whole week, he had been working so hard. She had not a clue why he was in a weird mood, all she knew was that when she came back from her trip to Paris nearly a month before, Chad had become a workaholic and the studios were seemingly quieter, though she could not put her finger on it. Looking all around, Portlyn did not notice a single set of eyes, and fast as a cat, snatched one letter from the top of the pile.

It was a plain-looking envelope. White, with Chad Dylan Cooper scripted across the front in blue ink. Chad would never miss something so plain – and she was not dumb enough to snatch one of the more extravagant ones.

Slipping her finger beneath the lip of the envelope and anxiously tearing the letter from within, Portlyn began reading:

Dearest Chad Dylan Cooper,

We are so sorry to have failed you. It was not our intent to let you down. We realize you have not made a statement to us via the press because we did not finish the job we promised you we would. But fear not, your fans will not fail you a second time.

Sincerely,

ACDCF

"Well that was boring," Portlyn sighed and tossed the letter into her trash can. "Chad wouldn't want to waste time on that anyway."

"Captain, we have the virus in sight," a masked man spoke into a radio while watching a perfect image of the prop room on a television screen. "She is staying with one of the skirt's apartment."

"Perfect," the other end responded. "And because her mother refused to heed my warning, I have just the best way of drawing her back into our hands."


	11. Tired

**I hope everyone is doing well with the ending of classes and the beginning of summer! Enjoy!**

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"Tawni, you're not listening to me," Sonny called from the bathroom while brushing her teeth.

"I don't need to," Tawni replied, dumping herself into her leather couch. "I've done this stunt a thousand times as cheerleaders, as acrobats, and as superheroes. Besides, she's always wanted to try the stunt."

"Yeah, and you're three times Zora's size." Sonny popped her head around the doorway. "No offense."

"Words like that hurt, Sonny Monroe," Tawni looked up to admonish her.

"Tawni," Sonny finished up and stepped outside, drying her face with one of the softest towels she had ever felt. "Zora wouldn't land anywhere close to the stage. We would kill her. We'd be peeling pieces of her out of the cement walls surrounding the set. We'd have to start searching for a new quirky ten-year-old tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess we don't want that, do we? But what if we just used less power? Or a smaller cannon?"

"And Tawni, what do you know about rocket science?"

"It's not rocket science, silly, it's _cannon_ science," Tawni quickly corrected.

"Sonny!" Zora came bursting through Tawni's doorway, expecting a list of complaints from the tenant.

"Ah, Zora, right on cue. Will you please tell Sonny that you're willing to do a cannon scene?"

"Zora, what happened to you?" Sonny noticed a tear down the back of Zora's t-shirt and dirt on her hands and face.

"Sonny, you have to get out of here, _now_," Zora threw a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt from Sonny's room to her feet.

"Zora, what is going on?" Sonny spoke slowly, trying to calm Zora down.

"You're not listening to me, Sonny!" Zora continued to shake with fear. "They came. They came to my apartment trying to find you. They said they knew you were with me or Tawni. They'll be here in only a few seconds when they realize you aren't down the street, hiding in my apartment."

"How…" Sonny began to freeze over with fear.

"Sonny, get changed," Tawni began to put a sweatshirt on over her white tank top and ran for a pair of jeans as well. "We'll answer questions later."

"You two go," Sonny spoke quietly, looking at her pile of clothing. "I'm done running. I'm done being scared. If they want me, they'll know where to find me. But I don't want you two in the mix." Sonny spoke with such a sober, yet ghostly tone, even Zora was scared.

"Oh no you don't," Tawni began to force Sonny into the new clothing. "Not after everything we've put in to keep you alive. You're not giving yourself up, Sonny. We can't lose you."

As soon as Tawni had Sonny successfully redressed, she ushered the two girls into her SUV and raced from her parking lot.

"They came bursting through, saying they wanted a quick search to see if they needed to check 'the blonde's' apartment too. They kept repeating 'the virus is with a skirt.' I extrapolated what that meant. My parents were gone and I was home alone. I was able to sneak out the fire escape outside my room and run down the street to your apartment. I don't know how much distance I was able to get, they were still there when I left," Zora began explaining once Tawni found the freeway.

"See Tawni, _this_ is why I can't fight them anymore. I won't put Zora in anymore danger."

"Well…" Tawni paused. "I will then. You have no choice. Zora's not the one I'm worried about – you are."

"It's no time to be chivalrous, Tawni. This is not a game, it's real life, and someone is really going to get hurt."

"Wrong, Sonny, this is a game. It's all anything in Hollywood ever has been. That's why Chad and I do so well – we play the game."

"Well then, I am not letting you use Zora as a sacrificial pawn."

"No offense, Sonny," Zora spoke lightly, knowing Sonny was doing her best to protect her in this chaotic moment. "But I really am a pawn in all of this. I say that, because they're the ones deciding the rules. They've established the game. You're the one they want to knock out, and they'll run over anyone they have to who gets in their way."

"That's precisely why I'm not going to put you in their way," Sonny grabbed Zora's shoulders. "I'm ashamed for simply what happened tonight. Tawni, where are you going?" Sonny was on the edge of yelling at the two.

"I'm taking you somewhere they'll never expect. To someone who's going to help you," Tawni spoke vaguely.

"Who? Lindsay? No, that's too obvious and I won't put her in any more danger either."

"It's not Lindsay," Tawni whispered as she pulled into one of the most recognizable driveways in all of Hollywood."

"No, no, I won't do it!" Sonny refused, going to unbuckle her seatbelt as though she was about to run away.

"No!" Zora pulled her hands away. "It's the only way, Sonny. You know that."

"Chad wanted nothing to do with me," Sonny fought. "He made that loud and clear in the hospital, and even more with his silence afterwards. Besides, I thought he locked himself into the studios."

"Mr. Condor finally sent him home when he stopped sleeping and couldn't focus anymore," Tawni explained. "Let's go." Tawni quickly pulled Sonny from the back seat and ushered her inside. Though Sonny wanted to fight, her body was too shell-shocked and still too injured to truly pull against her older friend.

"What do you three want? How did you get passed the guard?" Chad came to the door in his sweats.

"Your fan alliance is coming after Sonny and she needs somewhere to hide," Tawni waved her finger in front of Chad's face. Chad blanched, his sight constantly going between the three girls.

"What about you two?" Sonny spun around. "And what about my mom? Oh gosh, my mom!" Sonny began to panic again. Chad wrapped his arm around Sonny's to keep her from going anywhere.

"We'll be fine, Sonny. It's better for Zora and me to be together than one of us alone, especially since they're not coming for us. They'll never expect you're here, but if they see my car, they might expect something. We're going to pick up your mom and dad and then go to the police. They'll figure out what to do."

"Please, be safe," Sonny begged.

"Come on, Sonny, you need to get inside," Chad pulled her further inside while pushing Tawni and Zora further back. "You two be safe," Chad ordered as he slammed the door. "Come on, I have a bunker downstairs. That should keep you safe."

"Chad, no," Sonny finally found her footing and stood her ground. "You abandoned me when I asked for help." Sonny's voice faltered, but she never lost eye contact or her wording. "Why help me now?"

"Tawni's right, they'll never look for you here, plus, I don't want you getting hurt. Why do you think I do? I already told you I've had nothing to do with this, and by not letting you stay, I would be."

"So that's all it is? You're doing this because we cornered you into helping me?" Sonny's angry began rising. She cared so greatly for Chad, but this was becoming ridiculous.

"If I say yes, will you come downstairs with me?" Chad begged.

"No! I won't. I don't want to be here with you, Chad, if you're only doing this to save face. If there's no one who can really save me, then what's the point of trying?" Sonny threw her hands in the air. "I'm so tired of running, I'm tired of hiding, and I'm tired of hurting. I'm really tired, Chad."

"Please, don't go Sonny," Chad took a small step forward. "I don't mean to be difficult, but it's a lose-lose situation for you, Sonny. But I promise, if you agree to let me protect you, I promise you're only going to hurt for a little longer."

"I don't understand," Sonny shook her head.

"And I'm going to keep it that way for as long as possible."

"Forget it, Chad. I'm not playing your game either," Sonny turned around and began to shuffle towards the doorway. Chad, however, would have none of this. Just as Sonny was halfway across the room, Chad leapt forward, tackling her to the ground. Sonny shrieked as her injuries were all irritated. "Please Chad, let me go," she begged, the tears falling from her face.

"No, Sonny, no," Chad turned her over in his arms, keeping her trapped on the floor. "I won't allow you to go."

"Why not? You don't want me. The fans don't want me. No one wants me. I should have heeded their words before it came to this. I should have quit when I had the chance. It gets worse every time I escape them or ignore them. Zora could have been hurt tonight. Or Tawni. Now don't make this any worse for me. I want this to end," Sonny screamed in Chad's face. Her face became redder and redder the more worked up she became. Her whole body shuddered with each breath, her entity completely drained.

"I'm so sorry, Sonny," Chad whispered before leaning down and placing his lips against hers. Chad expected a gasp or a shriek. But Sonny simply submitted to the kiss – either too tired fight or too worn through to expect normality. "I'm so sorry." Chad stood and picked Sonny up in to his arms, carrying her to the elevator.

"You knew, didn't you," Zora turned to face Tawni from the driver's seat.

"About what?" Tawni kept her eyes glued to the traffic, trying to squeeze through every crack.

"Chad's feeling. You knew how much he really cares."

"Of course I knew. That's why he took her in without a fight. If Chad was really how he tries to portray himself, we would still be there with him arguing. But I swear, if I lose anymore beauty sleep, not that I need any, I'm going to tear this fan group to shreds!" Tawni threatened.

"Tawni, stop!" Zora shouted as Tawni slammed on the breaks, nearly five hundred feet before Sonny's apartment complex. Tawni quickly parked her car on the side of the road and turned off the lights, hoping they were not seen.

"Zora, get down," Tawni pushed the younger girl down to the passenger seat's floor as she peeked over the steering wheel. Before her eyes, Connie Monroe was being pulled from the apartment, her hands tied behind her back, a blindfold over her eyes, and a small gun to her head. Nicholas stood at the door with two others pointing guns at him. Everyone but Connie was screaming at someone. Nicholas at the one dragging Connie off, the two with guns at him, and the one with Connie seeming to yell at Connie for trying to dig her feet in the ground. Tawni could not make out what was being said, but she knew it was not a friendly conversation.

Tawni reached for her cell phone and speedily dialed 911. "This is Tawni Hart. Connie Monroe is being kidnapped right this moment at her apartment. We need help right away." Tawni finished giving the remainder of the information and snapped her phone shut as all of the men with the guns finished packing themselves in the car around Connie. "I'm sorry, Zora, but we don't have time to wait for the cops," Tawni pulled her car forward as soon as she was sure she could do so without being caught, but without losing too much time. Zora leapt to the back seat. "Mr. Monroe, get in," Tawni gestured, opening the passenger door for him.

"They came in with guns," he stuttered wildly as Tawni set after the kidnappers. "I tried to protect her, I really did. I wouldn't just sell out my ex-wife. You guys _have_ to understand that. I may dislike her, but she's still Sonny's mother. I wouldn't just hand her over. But they had guns."

"Mr. Monroe, it's all right, we're going to get her back. But why did they grab her mom? What does Mrs. Monroe have to do with any of this?" Tawni assured.

"They said something about taking an indirect route to Sonny. I think they're going to use Connie to pull Sonny out of hiding. Wait, where's my daughter? Where's Sonny?"

"Don't worry, we stashed her away so well not even you could find her," Zora poked Nicholas in his triceps, utterly astounded by the size of the man's arm. "How much can you press?"

"Not now, Zora," Tawni warned without turning around, always keeping her sights on the car.

"Do you want me to drive?" Nicholas offered, even though Tawni was keeping up with the other car.

"I've got this," Tawni assured. "I need you ready to run if need be."

"What can I do?" Zora leaned in between their seats, practically vibrating from the adrenaline rush of her first high speed chase.

"Here," Tawni handed Zora her cell phone. "Call 911 back, and keep them updated where we are. Perhaps they can help us cut them off."

"Aw, I always get the boring job," Zora whined and dialed the three-digit number.

"Why are they doing this to my family, Tawni? _What_ could Sonny possibly do to be hunted down like an animal? Her heart is so pure, and I just don't understand the logistics. Was it my fault? Was it Connie's? Because I don't know how on Earth it was Sonny's fault that this happened. And I won't believe such to be true."

Tawni sighed, "It's not logical, Mr. Monroe, not logical at all. Sonny made a boy fall in love with her. A boy who was too weak to accept the strength of her love."

"I'm so sorry Sonny," Chad paced around the sealed room. "You were never supposed to know. I never meant to tell you."

"Please, don't apologize, Chad," Sonny was still in a weak state of shock, sitting on the edge of a bed. "I don't have the energy to hate you, and I don't have the strength to forgive anyone. So please, stop apologizing, and I'll give you nothing to be sorry for."

"Sonny, you need to rest," Chad dimmed the lights and walked across the room to find something for them to drink.

The terrified girl did not want to move, but jumped when an unexpected vibration ran through her pocket. Sonny pulled out her phone, unhappy she could not even hear the soft moos she adored. _Mom_ appeared on the screen, and Sonny suddenly felt guilty for not having called sooner. "Hello?" Sonny answered, rubbing her face with her other hand. Her face was still burning hot, but Sonny felt so terrified, she was not surprised.

After a short moment of silence, Sonny heard a gruff, male voice ordering, "Answer it! Answer the phone!" After another second of silence, the same voice followed up, "I swear, if you don't work with us, we'll make you watch as we torture her to death."

Then Sonny heard what sounded like a spit and her mother demanding the man to, "Go to –" but was cut off by a sharp ring as the man silenced Connie with his hand.

"Sonny Monroe, we have your mother. Are you going to make her suffer for your sins? Come to Condor Studios and we'll have ourselves a little trade off. Work with us, and your family goes home safely. Give us problems and…" Sonny heard her mother crying out in pain in the background, and then the line fell dead. Looking over her shoulder, Sonny knew Chad really was not paying attention as he fumbled with glasses and ice and soda. She mustered all of her strength and burst towards the doorway. Beating Chad by a mile.


	12. The Bunker

**Hi all, I just found out that my scene breaks weren't being transferred from the Word Doc to the FF Doc - sorry if it's seemed messy because of it! I'm just reuploading to make it a bit clearer. Have a great weekend!**

**Enjoy! 3**

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"No!" Sonny cranked on the door handle, not being able to get it to turn. "Open!"

"It's pointless, Sonny," Chad walked over, handing her a short glass full of ginger ale. "Drink it, you'll feel better. I also have some tea brewing."

"Why won't the door open?" Sonny threw her whole weight into trying to wrench it open. "Open the door Chad."

"I can't, Sonny. The only way to get out is if I speak a series of numbers, and I'm not going to do that," Chad tried to hand Sonny the glass again.

"I'm not your prisoner. You have _no _right to keep me locked in here, Chad Dylan Cooper," Sonny fell to her knees. "They have my mom, Chad, they're hurting her. They'll kill her if I don't go to them."

"They're using her, Sonny," Chad pulled Sonny off the ground and sat her back down on the bed, this time forcing the glass into her hand. "They can't kill her, because then they won't have anything to draw you out with."

"That's not true! What about my dad? Tawni, Zora, Nico, Grady, Lucy…" Sonny listed everyone in her life she loved. "If they hurt one, they'll hurt any number of them. I have many friends, Chad, but I only have one mom."

"Sonny, if they hurt her, that's their fault. If you turn yourself in and it destroys her, that's on you. If you escape here and that happens, that's on me. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be selfish here, if that means it will keep you safe."

"Please," Sonny mouthed, too weak to speak now.

"No," Chad replied forcefully as the tea kettle began to whistle. "Drink that, you'll feel better," he repeated, "and I'll bring you some tea."

Sonny sipped at the soda, the ginger indeed calming her stomach a bit. She knew it was a losing battle with Chad, but that did not keep her from thinking of ways out. "You really have no legal right to keep me here," Sonny whispered once Chad came back. The tea warmed her body, but also relaxed all of her muscles.

"Then sue me, have them arrest me if you want. I don't care. But I'm not letting you go."

"You know, you say you don't care, but you're making that so hard to believe," Sonny challenged. "I get it, Chad, you don't like me. That's fine. I used to think a friendship was possible, but fine, I can move on. But why, then, are you working so very hard to keep me here? Knowing you, you'd be with these fanatics to kick me out of Hollywood. You've locked yourself in this bunker with me. You even faked that kiss upstairs just to calm me down and to render my system useless. So it shows me that you might actually care. To humiliate yourself like that."

"Faked?" Chad was caught off-guard. Now he had to face the internal argument again, whether he was going to let her slip away again for her benefit. He had fallen through his promise, but she had given him the chance to get back up again. She never had to know. But he had experienced the joy of living in his temptation. Of holding her in his arms, of supporting her as she broke, of finding the embrace of her lips that he had denied himself of since they met. Could he ever go back to pretending?

"I mean, you probably have a hidden camera here, somewhere, waiting to use this moment as your benefit. I wonder what will get more attention – my panic attack or just seeing me without my makeup."

"I do care," Chad whispered, backtracking throughout the conversation. "I do care, Sonny, and there are no video cameras. And you're not having a panic attack," Chad gently rubbed her back. "These dangers, they're real and very much present. You're not freaking over nothing. You have the right to be scared out of your wits and to try to escape. I would think something was wrong with you if you acted otherwise, and honestly, I wouldn't think the same of you if you took this all in stride. That's why Tawni, Zora, and I need to seem so cold-hearted right now, because the amount you care for your mother and her safety, requires all three of us to give everything we have to match that amount to care for you. It would take so many more to match the average amount of love and concern you give to everyone every day. I might not be able to give you what you deserve, Sonny, God knows I'm going about this all wrong, but this is the only way I know how to keep you safe. I do care, Sonny."

"But Chad, she doesn't deserve this," Sonny's burst of will power had faded again and she was crumbling before his eyes.

"I know, Sonny, I really know," Chad caught Sonny in his arms.

"And I still don't understand why you care," Sonny shook her head as he set her down into the pillow and tucked her in under the sheets. "You've never cared for me before – for anything. All the way back to the day I asked if we could have a truce between the shows."

"Sonny, I promise you, when this is all over, I will tell you why I care. I think I owe you that after all I put you through. Now try to get some sleep."

Sonny tried closing her eyes once the lights were turned out completely, only Chad's laptop illuminated the room. But every time she began to drift off, a flash of an image, whether it was the car coming at her or her mother being attacked or even one of the red letters, popped into her mind and woke her up.

"Chad?" Sonny whimpered. "Will you…will you come here? I'm so scared."

"Of course," Chad clicked the last couple of keys and shut his laptop and ran through the dark. "Are you all right?"

"I'm so scared, I don't know how I'm going to make it through. The pain in my heart just hurts so badly, and I can't do anything about it."

"It's like this one time, on _Mackenzie Falls_, our writers had gotten Mackenzie and Chloe into this really dangerous position during a cave exploration beneath the falls. They were stranded there for days, and then the writers got writers block and had no idea how to pull them out. So they kept writing and writing and making the predicament worse for the two, and subsequently for us. We finally begged our producer to put an end to it, because our bodies could not withstand the cold, wet, dark conditions of filming all day long. And I had to sit and watch it slowly torturing Chastity, who just for entertainment's sake, usually had to wear less and lighter clothing. What we didn't realize while we were filming, was that the whole crew was working to take care of us. They brought us constant hot coffee and Chastity's mother would make us homemade soup for lunch. Our producer bought heating pads which could be hidden in climbing gloves and under shirts. And when the writers finally broke us from that cave, Mackenzie and Chloe were stronger individuals than ever before."

"But you're forgetting how Chloe was in the hospital for the remainder of the season with hypothermia, and how Mackenzie now has a pathological fear of caves," Sonny declared mindlessly. Chad was impressed she knew her facts so well, but chose not to gloat. Not now. "How am I going to come out on the other end of this?"

"Well you, Miss Sonny Monroe, clearly did not watch the extended ending of that season," Chad pulled her close to him. "When Chloe decided she was going to return to the cave to recover Mackenzie's lost charm, passed down from generations from his great-great-great grandfather who initially founded the falls. Mackenzie's a weakling, but you're a Chloe, Sonny, you're going to recover and you're going to laugh in the face of danger."

Chad's phone vibrated with what appeared to Sonny as a text message. Chad used his free left hand to speedily write a reply and shoved the phone back in his pocket.

"Who was that?" Sonny's eyes burned from the source of light on his phone.

"It's just a little project I'm working on right now. Hopefully you'll get to see it one day."

"Chad," Sonny paused. She knew what she was about to ask was ludicrous and probably insulting, but her head felt like cotton, and she was no longer completely certain what was appropriate anymore. She felt her pulse racing and knew she needed to ask or suffer the elevated stress the rest of the evening. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I understand why you needed to earlier, and I really don't mind if you say no…"

"What is it Sonny?" Chad cut her off softly. "Whatever you need."

"Will you…will you kiss me again? Just once?"

Chad looked at her eyes through the dark The bunker was completely sealed off from any external light source, but a small blue status light on the security system in the corner gave just enough to mark the outline of her face. The kiss earlier depressed her emotions, and she needed that aid again, it was written all over her face. Without knowing the words to respond, Chad just dipped down and lay his lips against hers. Sonny closed her eyes as though she was trying to pretend she was in another place, with another person, but Chad kept his wide open. He knew she probably did not feel the same about him in return – why should she? But he was given this rare second gift, and better yet, he could watch it drain the stress from her face.

The kiss was simple but lasted nearly five minutes before Sonny finally fell away, half-asleep, and as Chad set her down, she fell the rest of the way into her much needed sleep. Chad kissed her forehead gently, and watched her for the next several hours.

Every time she flinched or cried, he increased the strength of his hold on her, letting her subconscious know she was not alone. The more his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the better he was able to see her face. Puffy and red from crying and void of makeup from the sudden evacuation, she was the most beautiful girl in the world, because she did not need any physical or emotional cover up. And any person who thought different was dumb, lying, or blind. How could he have possibly trained any of his fans to hate the one face he adored more than anything?

XXX

"Mrs. Monroe, where is your daughter?" a masked man paced around directly in front of her. Connie's hands were bound behind her and her midsection to the chair she sat in, but her mouth as well as her eyes were free – not that any of her captors had exposed faces.

"My guess," Connie leaned back in her chair and gave a cocky shrug, "she was on her way when one of her many many friends stopped her. They're probably holding her captive themselves – clearly they were able to do your job a lot faster and more effectively."

"Watch your mouth," the captor pointed his finger at Connie. "I don't want to punish you."

"You tried to run over my daughter with an SUV," Connie shook her head and squinted her eyes. "Was that not supposed to be punishment?"

"We were ridding you of your parasite. Be thankful."

Connie, infuriated at his suggestion, used her leg to try to kick him anywhere she could, but unfortunately, he stood just out of reach.

"Will someone tie her legs down please," the captor called out the request. Someone quickly ran over with a set of ropes and secured Connie's legs as she gave no fight to oppose. "Well let's just give her another little call to see where she is, shall we?"

"No!" Connie begged. "Please, if by the grace of God she is asleep or even a bit relaxed, I want her to stay that way."

"Well now, all the more reason to call." The man began dialing Sonny's phone number.

"Mike, no!" Connie shouted, biting her tongue as soon as the words tumbled out.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Franklin ripped his mask off. "How did you know it was me?"

"I'd have to be dense not to. The way you assumed it was Sonny who screamed when the rock was thrown through her window. When Lindsay was attacked, three notes were left on our door. The only way the group could have seen that I was gone, was if one of them passed by the door several times every day. How when you saw the red note on our door, Lindsay beaten up, and read the note attached to her shirt, you failed to call the police. When you knew what kind of injuries Lindsay had, so you could help her on your own. But the worst was when you blatantly threatened me this would happen. Well I tell you what, the one thing you didn't count on in all of this, was that your little fan group was wrong. People love Sonny, and they'll do anything it takes to keep her safe. Now I know my daughter is out there, killing herself to rescue me, and if she gets hurt in the process, I will take great joy in hurting you myself. Then I'll let my ex-husband have his time with you. You're going to wish you never interfered with Sonny Monroe's parents."

With a bright red face and a quick back of the hand, Mr. Franklin rendered Connie unconscious, but her words stuck, and they were not letting go.

XXX

"Three, Four, Three."

"Voice recognition password not verified."

"One."

"Voice recognition password not verified."

Chad sat up and rubbed his eyes. The lights had been turned on and he had several missed messages on his phone. He heard a whispering voice and it took him only seconds to locate the source.

"Zero, Seven, Two, Seven, One, Nine, Nine, Two."

"Voice recognition password not verified."

"Four, Five, Six."

"Voice recognition password not verified."

"Two – "

"What do you think you're doing?" Chad snuck up behind Sonny.

"Voice recognition password not verified," the computer responded.

"I told you," Chad chuckled, "Even if one of those were the correct combination, it has to be in my voice. Why are you trying to leave? I thought we had an agreement."

"I have to go," Sonny inspected to doorway, trying to find its weak point. There was no dead bolt, so breaking through should have been easy, if it was not for the super-magnet holding it in place. "They called me last night and left a message on my cell phone. They sent me a picture of my mom. She's tied up. She's unconscious. I have to go." Sonny spoke methodically and seemingly sanely – as though she was being rational.

"Um, no," Chad drew out each word. "I think we need to do some reevaluation."

"I did. I was going to stay, I was going to agree with you. I reevaluated. Now I'm going to get my mom."

"Sonny, I think you're still in shock. How can I convince you this is a very bad idea?" Chad pleaded, trying to pull her away gently.

"Oh, I know it's a bad idea. I'm doing it anyway," Sonny untangled from his grasp and kept jiggling the door knob.

"Here, read this," Chad scrolled through his own messages and found one from Tawni. "See," he handed her the phone, "your dad, Tawni, and Zora have a plan devised to break out your mom. She's not alone. And what better team could she have? I mean, it's Zora, come on. They don't stand a chance."

Sonny grabbed the phone and inspected the message. "What if they fail? They'll need me as backup."

"Wrong again, Sonny. Don't worry about back up or Plan Bs. I'm sending enough backup for a dozen of you."

"I don't understand?"

"Let's have some breakfast, it's not worth explaining yet," Chad led her from the doorway towards the kitchenette. "Um, Frosted Flakes or Fruity Pebbles?" he displayed the two boxes in front of her.

"Really, Chad? Really?"

"Sonny, it's called _sustainable food_."

"Why do you even have this bunker?"

"To prepare for the zombie apocalypse…or for the end of the Mayan Calendar – whichever comes first. I'm hoping it's the Mayan thing, though, because everyone knows the zombies go for the pretty ones first," Chad began pouring the cereal. Sonny let out a squeak of a laugh, sending rays of happiness throughout Chad.

Sonny was still broken and still terrified. She needed constant supervision – not that she was escaping the bunker any time soon. But even a small smile gave Chad hope. It told him he was not failing completely. He knew he had the chance to save her life and her spirit.

XXX

"We better hurry," Nicholas tapped his foot impatiently. "I don't want Sonny showing up unexpectedly.

"Chad hasn't sent a panic message. Sonny's safe with him," Zora showed him her phone, void of messages.

"Sonny takes after me," Nicholas pointed at himself. "She's stubborn, quick, and incredibly smart."

"I see she got his humbleness too," Tawni rolled her eyes.

"She will find a way around him, and she'll do it soon, so we better hurry."

XXX

"Chad, what's your lucky number?" Sonny asked quizzically after nearly three hours of quiet time.

"Sonny, you know this. Seven," Chad replied matter-of-factly.

"And how many tween choice awards have you won?"

"Twenty seven."

"And what year were you born?"

"Nineteen Ninety Two."

"Voice recognition password not verified."

"No!" Sonny collapsed on her bed. "I was so sure that was going to work."

"You're not going to overcome me, Sonny. You're never going to guess the password."

"Yeah…well…I hate you," Sonny sighed, glaring down the door in an attempt to discovered a missed point of escape.

"Ouch," Chad plopped on the bed next to her and wound his arm beneath her heck and around her opposing shoulder. "I hate you too." The two broke out in laughter until Sonny's smile disappeared and her glow faded.

"Chad," Sonny drew in his attention with a sudden somber tone. "I think it's time for me to leave Hollywood."


	13. Paved With Good Intentions

**I hope everyone is well and had a wonderful Tuesday! I'm think one, maybe two chapters left. Enjoy!**

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"What?" Chad was struck dumbfounded.

"I said I think it's time for me to leave Hollywood – to go back home, return to the life I'm good at," Sonny repeated, her eyes lost on the ceiling.

"You can't just _leave_ Hollywood," Chad refuted.

"I'm not cut out for this life, Chad, this isn't who I am."

"But if you leave, then this has all been in vain, and they win. We can't let them win, Sonny," Chad sat up, leaning over her.

"That's the problem," Sonny burst upwards, sandwiching herself between the wall and Chad. "I don't want to play a game. I don't want to win, I don't want to lose. Tawni was right, you and she do so well because you play the game. I'm tired of playing games, Chad, especially if I'm going to inevitably going to lose it. I want to live life the way it was meant to be. If I break the rules every now and then, I don't want it to kill me. I'm through playing."

"This is no game, Sonny. I don't know what Tawni was feeding you, and she was probably trying to make you feel better, but this is our life. We actors live to entertain others and to put smiles on the faces of our audiences. You put smiles on children's faces and laughter in their hearts. That's the reality of your life, Sonny. That's no game. You can go back home and do the same, I'm sure your little town in Wisconsin just adores you. But think about the thousands of small towns you reach every week, and the millions of laughs you get to create."

"I don't know, Chad," Sonny collapsed back into the bed. "I mean, this whole thing is so crazy and random! I really don't know how I feel, but with all of the exceptional talent who wants my spot more than anything, is it really fair for me to hog it all while feeling these things?"

"Yes, Sonny, it is fair. You won your spot fair and square. There has never been a fairer way to win an audition." Chad paused pensively. "I don't want to live and to work in a Hollywood without you. I've done that before and I don't want to go back to it. If you go, I'm going with you."

"Chad, no, this is your home, your place, your dynasty. You think these fans are mad at me now, imagine what the world would think if I stole Chad Dylan Cooper from them? They would hunt me down to finish the game instead of just letting me go."

"And right there is why if you left, I would need to leave too. My fans did this to you, Sonny. My fans. Not Tawni's fans or Portlyn's fans or even _Mackenzie Falls_ fans. My fans did this to you. And even if I did not know this was going to happen, I clearly did something wrong to urge them on and keep them going. You think _you're_ not cut out for this life? You've never gotten a group of people thinking you wanted them to kill the best thing that's ever happened to you."

XXX

"Trash pickup! Everybody come for the trash pickup," a frumpy janitor pounded on the back door.

"What do you want?" Mr. Franklin poked his head out.

"Didn't you hear me, son? Trash pickup!" the mustache on the stranger jiggled.

"It's two in the morning. Why is there trash pickup at two in the morning?"

"Look," the mustached stranger attempted to push through the doorway, but met resistance by the tempered man. "Perhaps the landlord of this fine set of office buildings didn't explain it to you properly when he leased you this one – it's one of my favorites by the way. But trash pickup during normal office hours is a bloody eyesore for everyone involved. And let's face it, I am not a people-person. So it just works best for everyone if I come in the middle of the night, get it?"

"Look, we don't have any trash to dispose of. Not yet, anyway," Mr. Franklin tried to maneuver the stranger away.

"Nope, nope, nope. That's not going to cut the cheese, sir. I am not permitted to leave an office without checking to ensure each room is clear of trash and debris. If I miss something, then I don't pick it up until next week, it starts to smell, the building gets rats, and then I get fired and sued by maintenance – man I hate those guys. Always thinking they're better than us trash collectors."

"Look…what's your name?"

"Me? I'm Toby," the stranger pointed to a name badge printed across his shirt. "And that man over there, in the truck, well that's Buck. Wave hi, Buck!" the stranger shouted, eliciting a nod and a hat tip from the broad-shouldered, muscular man in the driver's seat of the garbage truck.

"Look, Toby, I'd love to let you in, but I'm under strict orders from the boss, no one crosses the gateway until he comes tomorrow morning. We've got a pretty big secret stewing. I'm sure you understand."

"Well, this is awkward," the stranger sighed, pulled out a cell phone and began dialing.

"What," Mr. Franklin began to panic. "Who's that? Who are you calling?"

"Headquarters. It's a problem when clients refuse to allow for trash pickup – they get kind of attached sometimes. And I understand, I'm not the prettiest face to talk to, so they're just going to have to send over one of their associates – Miss Lancaster probably. Headquarters doesn't take kindly to secrets – it worries them tremendously. So she's just going to have a little look around, make sure nothing's amiss."

"No, no, no, Toby," Mr. Franklin snatched the cell phone away. "You were misunderstanding me. I'm not keeping you away from collecting trash, I just need one moment to ensure nothing too secretive is lying out, and _then_ you're more than welcome to come in and collect your trash."

Both people laughed awkwardly together. The stranger picked up a sack from his feet, describing it as an aid to carry multiple bags back and forth to the truck. There was something heavy inside, but Mr. Franklin did not seem to notice once they entered together.

"Why thank you so much, kind sir," Toby replied as soon as the minimal amount of trash was placed in the one large sack – barely giving it shape or weight. "I really appreciate your understanding and I do apologize for the misunderstanding from before. I'll see you next week! Same time, same place!" He threw the trash into the rear of the truck and together, Toby and Buck drove the truck away, just around the corner and out of sight.

"Great work, Tawni," Nicholas removed his trucker hat and patted the girl on her back as she anxiously worked to remove the fake mustache and her dirty clothing.

"I still think you would have made the better trash collector. Ew, this is so gross! You can't imagine the things I've touched," Tawni wiped her hands on Nicholas' sleeve.

"I'm no actor. I would have failed miserable. But, did you see her? Was she in there?"

"I didn't, no. I think he hid her just before I could see her. But don't worry, we're on the inside. Now we wait."

"Black Hawk to Muscles and Princess, over," Zora's voice buzzed through a radio inside the truck.

"Black Hawk, this is Muscles – are you in?" Nicholas was the first to pick up the radio.

"That is a positive. I have a perfect sight of the Goody Basket. Oh my gosh…" Zora faded out.

"What is it, Black Hawk? What's wrong?" Tawni snatched the radio system away.

"It's him, it's Sonny's neighbor. He's part of this."

"What is she talking about?" Nicholas turned to Tawni without speaking through to Zora.

"I don't know, someone who lives on her hall I guess?" Tawni shrugged.

"The maniacs who have been trying to kill my daughter live only a couple doors away from her?" Nicholas exploded. "We have to get Connie out now and Sonny to a safer place. This whole Hollywood thing is just not working for me."

"Zora, how long will it take to get her out?"

"Please, use only my code name – this is a secret mission," Zora demanded. "She's tied up pretty complicatedly, but I could probably undo that in 8.2 seconds."

"That's not fast enough, Black Hawk," Tawni shook her head. "It needs to be faster. You might not have that time."

"Princess, Black Hawk knows what's she's doing. Trust me."

"Trust her?" Tawni laughed, but without talking into the radio, forcing herself to stay together. "Trust her. Why don't we all just get together in a big trusting circle, holding hands of trust, telling trust stories, and then eating little trust cookies when we get hungry?"

"Tawni, it'll be all right," Nicholas lay a hand on her shoulder. "You said it yourself, Zora's undefeatable."

"I only told you that to make you feel better."

"Then will you feel better if I say it?"

Tawni cracked a smile. "She's my best friend, Mr. Monroe – Sonny that is. I've said that about people before, but they were all superficial – only in it for my money or fame. The minute I had to spend an extended amount of time away from them on set or doing a project, I was accused and degraded as a sellout. But Sonny, no matter how much I try to and tell her I hate her, she's my friend through and through. The fact that any of them are trying to hurt her, makes me want to up and quit. I don't know if I want to be a part of a business where this is legitimate," Tawni wiped a spare tear from her eye.

"Perhaps it's time for us all to reevaluate where we need to be."

"Sonny needs to be here, she needs to be in Hollywood and on televisions, and heck, even the silver screen. It's what she deserves."

"She deserves all of this?"

"No. And that's why it's so messed up!"

"Black Hawk to Muscles and Princess – I'm going in!"

"Be careful, Black Hawk!" Tawni screamed into the radio, and began to count.

1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…

"Start it up!" Zora shouted, darting around the corner with Connie at her side. "Go, go, go," she waved Nicholas on the moment both females were inside the truck.

Nicholas sped away as quickly as possible, but by then, the Alliance was definitely on the garbage truck's trail.

XXX

"The best thing that's ever happened to you?" Sonny looked at him confused and then snickered. "I'm not the best thing that's ever happened to you. That's very kind of you, Chad, but you're doing enough for me by trying to keep me here. You don't have to try to flatter me."

"Sonny, you're not listening to me," Chad rolled off the side of the bed, landing on his knees so he could look Sonny in the eyes. "You're not hearing everything I've been trying to say. What I feel for you, how I feel about you, it's the strongest feeling I've ever felt in my life. After you leave Condor Studios at night, all I can do is think about you and fantasize about the moment I see you again in the morning. But when that moment comes, my chest feels like it's about to explode!"

"But when we do see each other, you're so cruel, Chad," Sonny shook, not wanting to admit to what he was confessing.

"That was for your own good, Sonny. I'm not good for you, and so to torture you was the only way I could see you constantly, yet not allow you to fall into my trap either."

"What exactly are you saying, Chad?"

"I'm saying, when I kissed you the other night, it wasn't to render you powerless, it wasn't because I knew it would tip your threshold. When I kissed you, it was because I wanted to kiss you."

"Chad," Sonny barely whispered, "What's my birthday? In numbers?"

Chad sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Eight…Twenty….Nineteen Ninety Two."

"Voice recognition password verified. Have a nice day, Mr. Cooper."

The door clicked five times as the magnetic lock was shut off, and with a thrust of machinery, the door popped open.

Sonny stood up, walked passed Chad and over to the doorway, looking down the hallway that she had been carried through less than two days prior.

XXX

"Why did they stop following us?" Connie panicked.

"They probably realized we were going towards the police station," Zora explained.

"Then I want to go see Sonny."

"Con, you've got a nasty cut on your head and some bruising they should really take a look at. Our kid is safely locked away in a secret hiding place. She'll be all right for a couple more hours. There's no way she's getting out."

"Where is she? What have you done with her?"

"I think it's best we not say until we get to a more secure location, and return this truck."

"Nick, you tell me where she is right now or so help me, I will never let you see her again," Connie threatened, feeling betrayed that she had allowed Nicholas to reunite with her, and now he was trying to keep her from him. "They called her, they heard me scream. I tried. I tried really hard not to, but she knows I was in danger. God only knows what else they sent her while I was unconscious. My daughter needs to know I am all right, and I need to know where she is located. That's _not_ an idle threat."

"She's with Chad," Nicholas took his eyes from the road, meeting Connie's glare with one just as strong. "He's keeping her safe. I've been in contact with him all day and night. She's fine. Happy now?"

Connie's first reaction was anger – Chad was the pinnacle of what was happening to them. But then the reality in ingeniousness of the plan design occurred to her, and she had to admit it was the perfect one.

"And let me set one thing straight," Nicholas began waving his finger around, "If we're going to try to make this arrangement work, you do not get to threaten me with our daughter. She is not a bargaining chip, and she is not to be bartered with to fit your agenda. If you have a problem with me, handle it with me, don't get her wrapped up in it."

"I suggest, then, that you don't do the same as well. I've been with Sonny through this entire thing. Ever since she had a rock thrown through her window. You don't get to jump in now and decide I don't need to know everything. I won't have it."

"Mrs. Monroe, how about you call Sonny on my cell phone? I know they stole yours. We should probably call her anyway before they try calling her with your phone again," Tawni offered. "But then I think you should at least see the paramedic that's waiting at the police station."

"Fine," Connie relented. "But not until I talk to Sonny."

XXX

"Please, don't go, Sonny," Chad begged, not moving from the ground.

Sonny looked back and forth several times between Chad and the hallway. He was not going to stop her – he was going to let her walk.

"Come with me," she offered. "They won't hurt me if I'm with you. Come with me."

"No," Chad stood, raising his voice slightly. "No. You stay here. Stay with _me_. I promised to protect you Sonny Monroe. I promised that I wouldn't let you out of here until your family came back and we could discuss the next step." Chad slowly got closer and closer to Sonny. "Stay here with me, Sonny."

"If I left right now, if I walked out, would you follow me?" Sonny held her breath as Chad took the last step forward, now caressing her face. She had been so damaged. He could see it all over her face. The bruises had all but faded, but she looked exhausted. Scars marked the areas where the worst damage had been done. Her eyes were darker and sadder.

"Of course I would follow you, Sonny. I don't want to ever leave you again." Chad now held onto Sonny's head as he stared down to his toes.

"Kiss me," Sonny demanded, forcing his eyes upwards. "Kiss me, Chad."

"Are you sure? I'm only going to hurt you," Chad warned.

"I can't be hurt worse than I already have been. So yes, kiss me."

Chad leaned down slowly, giving Sonny ample opportunity to change her mind. But when time ran out, and his lips were forced to meet hers, the seal had been formed. They were now bonded to one another, both inside the bunker and the outside world.

"It's about time!" Tawni and Zora groaned running down the hallway.

"Tawni? Zora?" Sonny jumped back, terrified by the sudden explosion of noise. "Mom! Oh my gosh, look what they did to you. Why didn't you go to the hospital?"

"Well, I was going to right after I spoke with you on the phone," Connie quickly wrapped Sonny in a hug, her hands, covered in rope burns, hidden behind Sonny's bag. "But _somebody_ wasn't answering his cell phone." Connie eyed her daughter and the boy who had just been cradling her face. "Now I know why."

Sonny blushed a single, but deep, shade of red. "I think you should have Dad take you to the hospital, Mom. He'll keep you safe, but you need to get checked out."

"All right, I'll go," Connie kissed Sonny's head.

But just as Sonny's parents began to walked back down the hallway, a sudden riot burst into Chad's house.

"Get away from him!" They shouted. "If you go near him, we'll kill you all!" "Chad, hang in there!"

"Everyone, get in now, quick!" Chad ran forward and shoved everyone into the bunker. The magnetic door relocked as Sonny's mother and father pulled her into the back of the bunker.

"Chad, do you have a closet in here or an extra hiding space?" Mr. Monroe questioned, holding Sonny by one of her arms – Connie holding the other.

"Why?" Chad questioned, looking up from his laptop. "We're perfectly safe in here. They're not getting through."

"We realize that, Chad, but on the off chance they can, I want there to be yet one more wall between them and Sonny. You understand, of course?" Mrs. Monroe insisted.

"Sure," Chad looked over the three uneasily. He could tell Sonny was less than thrilled – terrified of being locked away even, but he understood the parents' reasoning. "Over here," Chad motioned towards a large closet holding nearly six months worth of clean clothing. Connie set Sonny down in one of the corners as Nicholas gathered armfuls of clothing to cover Sonny over with.

"Kid, we know you're scared, just a little longer," her father promised as he and Connie quickly moved to leave the closet.

"I –" Sonny began, but was shut off as the door closed, locking her frail body under a pile of hot, heavy clothing in the dark closet.

"You're on Twitter. Really, Chad?" Tawni was the first to admonish the boy sitting at his laptop, typing away faster and more focused than he ever had before.

"It's time for my project to begin," Chad announced, turning away from his computer only after finishing the final mysteriously worded tweet. "And for Sonny's nightmare to end."


	14. Feel The Love

**Hi again everyone! Two apologies: 1) I'm so sorry this story has been on hiatus for so long. Basically two years of writers block on almost everything I've tried to put on paper. 2) I've read over past chapters and I noticed an egregious number of grammar/spelling errors. Please forgive my lack of proof reading before uploading these chapters. **

**There will probably be one more chapter after this. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"I thought you said they weren't following us anymore?" Nicholas raged at Connie.

"I said the car that was following us stopped. They probably had another one ready to go," Connie crossed her arms. She was tired, injured, in pain, and stuck with her ex-husband. Connie did not like the word hate, but if she had to choose one person to hate, it would be him. And when she remembered that she owed her whole life to him, for having a hand in creating their daughter, her whole body ached.

"We should have just stuck to the plan. You should have just let us take you to the hospital where the police could have intercepted them! Now you've put our daughter at risk once again."

Tawni tried her best to keep Zora away from the argument, but the two could not help but watch. The only one who could avoid from becoming engaged was Chad as he covertly snuck towards the closet and sat down in the dark next to the pile of clothing.

"Hey," he whispered. "You all right?"

"They're arguing again, over me, aren't they?" Sonny forced his response.

"Not over you, just over the situation," Chad stretched the truth.

"I wish you would let me put an end to the situation," Sonny declared weakly. "It could be so fast – I'm sure they would do it quickly. Heck, I barely even remember getting hit by the car, it happened so quickly."

"Don't lie to me, Sonny, the doctors said you were not unconscious until you hit the ground – after flying through the air. I know you felt the pain before and after. I wish you would stop suggesting yourself as a sacrifice. It wouldn't make things better for anyone. Wait…nope, not one person."

"Chad, stop," Sonny giggled. "So, this thing, between us. Is it real?"

"You tell me. Because what I feel is real, and I think you know that. But this is a weird time for you, and I don't want to force you into feeling something because you're emotionally vulnerable."

"Chad, you've been nothing but evil these last couple of months, and I really thought it was because you hated me," Sonny glared at the ground, only her head peeking out from the pile of clothing. "But when we kissed, everything just felt so right and normal again. I'd really like to explore this…"

"But…" Chad led on.

"But I'm not in the right state of mind to make such decisions right now. I'm sorry."

"So do you want to go back to how we were before?"

"No," Sonny shook her head.

"Do you want to be how we were when we were alone?"

"No." Sonny was finding it hard to meet Chad's gaze in the nearly pitch black lighting, regardless of how hard she tried. Chad noticed her struggle and pulled her free from the clothing pile temporarily. His arms wrapped around her body, laying his hands on her upper back. Sonny eventually reciprocated and the two stood in the embrace for several minutes, time lost within that closet.

XXX

"You don't get it, Connie, you're just so stubborn all of the time!" Nicholas' voice carried through the closet door, shocking Sonny back into reality.

"Stop it, you two. This isn't what she needs right now," Tawni finally had her fill and reacted with equal anger.

XXX

"Everyone's so angry over me," Sonny tried to pull away, but found resistance on Chad's arms.

"You could never cause anyone anger, Sonny. Not with how perfect you are."

"I'm not perfect, Chad, if I was, this wouldn't be happening. Clearly I have some imperfection that has angered your fans enough to seek revenge. Just more anger layered on anger."

"Maybe you're right," Chad's tone lightened, pulling Sonny back slightly, but still held onto her with his hands. "Maybe everyone here really is angry at you, about you, for you. I know I have enough anger inside of me from the one note I read after the attack to let loose on everyone upstairs right now. But there is another world out there, Sonny. Billions of people who feel the opposite of this dirty, filthy hate and anger. People who love and cherish you. People who would travel from all parts of the world to show you that. I want to prove this to you, but I need you trust me. Just for a little while. Okay?"

Sonny paused. Trust Chad Dylan Cooper. Sure she kissed him, admitted she may have feelings for him, but trust? That was asking so much of her. "I'll try," Sonny barely whimpered the words. Chad reinstated his strong grasp around her before his phone vibrated once again in his pocket.

"Then it's time, Sonny, let me prove to you, to your friends, and to your family, that Hate is not your story – beginning, middle, or end."

Chad led Sonny out of the closet where he received shocked looks from the Monroe's. Chad raised a hand to halt the barrage of oncoming accusations from the two adults who still had pent up, undirected rage. Chad, holding Sonny's hand, walked to the phone on his desk, pressed four odd numbers, and began speaking. His voice was instantly projected all throughout the house.

"Alliance of Chad Dylan Cooper Fans, this is me, Chad Dylan Cooper. I'm coming upstairs and I'm bringing them with me – all of them. The Randoms, the parents, and Sonny Monroe," Chad announced.

"What are you doing?" Connie almost lunged at Chad but was quickly restricted by Nicholas.

"Sonny, I'll release her if you don't tell us what is happening," Nicholas threatened. Sonny looked up at them with a panicked face. She had not a clue what was running through Chad's head – but then again, did she really ever know?

"Trust me!" Chad ordered in a hushed whisper as he pushed a hair from Sonny's face. "Trust me."

"But if I'm going to bring them up to you, you must exit my house and stand on the lawn across street from my house. This is not going down on my property – far too messy. You have five minutes or the deal is off. Thank you, I look forward to meeting my _fans_ soon."

"Explanation time, _now_," Mr. Monroe ordered, hovering above Chad, declaring his dominance.

"I'm very sorry sir, but there's no time," Chad ran to his computer and furiously began typing into the social networking sites. He then worked at sending several mass texts through his cell phone. "Come on," he grabbed Sonny's hand and began to run towards the doorway.

"No," Connie blocked their pathway as Nicholas pulled Sonny from Chad. "We're not letting you do this to us, Chad. And I'm especially not letting you surrender my daughter to make your life easier."

"Trust me," Chad whined.

"No. It's going to take more than that this time, Chad. We're not your posse that will just break on your very word."

"Then trust me," Sonny pulled from her father's grasp. "I can't say even I'm prepared to trust Chad fully, but I can say this. If he is lying, and only wants to dump me off on them, then that will be the last point of injury for me. If he betrays me, if he betrays us, I'll be done – with everything. And at that point, I would walk willingly into their hands."

"No," Chad's voice faltered, running to Sonny. "If you think you're at any risk of that happening, then I won't take you upstairs." Chad had completely forgotten about the present company, now all he had was Sonny in his brain cells. "If you're even considering it, I won't take you upstairs."

"Then don't fail me, and it won't happen," Sonny advised.

"I won't," Chad promised, trying to dig through her eyes to send his message of truth.

"Okay, then we're going. Or at least I am," Sonny affirmed, looking around for her family's support and following. She was relieved when she found little abrasion and what appeared to be a willingness to go with them.

Suddenly, a muffled noise overcame the house from the outside. Sonny knew it could not be Chad's fan alliance, as they did not possibly have that many people originally. But perhaps that many people really did exist who hated her that much.

"Come on, we have to go now," Chad urged. He quickly spoke Sonny's birthday and the door popped open. Connie and Nicholas looked between one another at the specific number sequence, but everything was moving too quickly for them to say anything.

Chad and Sonny led the pack, running up the stairway. Inside Chad's house was eerily quiet. Muddy, greasy footprints were scattered around Chad's tiled flooring – remnants from the uninvited guests.

"We can do this," Chad promised, squeezing Sonny's hand. Sonny nodded back, knowing her next few steps would end it all one way or another. And although she could not predict which result would come of it, she was content with either.

Chad flew open the doorway to over three thousand people who cheered with a boom when the two appeared in the doorway. Sonny was dumbfounded. As she looked around, she could not help but notice the _So Random_ t-shirts, her face on over half of the shirts, her picture photoshopped with Chad's picture on a quarter of the others, and a very few number of only Chad's picture, but somehow personally altered to include Sonny's name. Signs were thrown in the air, reading "We Love You Sonny" "Sonny, Will You Marry Me?"

Quotes like: "'I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him' – Booker T. Washington"

"' Hate is the consequence of fear; we fear something before we hate it' – Cyril Connolly"

"'Always remember others may hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself' – Richard Nixon"

"'There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God's finger on man's shoulder' – Charles Morgan"

"' Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that' – Michael Leunig" and

"'Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence' – Eric Fromm" filled the aired on neon poster boards.

"Chad, what is happening, here?" Sonny could barely feel anything below her waist. Half of her concentration was simply on standing. Chad realized this and laced his one arm through hers to keep her supported.

"Why, Miss Monroe, please, let me show you," Chad pulled a microphone from the inside of the doorway and began to quiet the crowd. The Alliance was in a heated debate with the larger group at the outskirts of the crowd, but eventually, Chad quieted everyone down. "Can we make a pathway, please," Chad requested so he would get a better view of the Alliance. The crowd split in two, giving a direct path towards the handful across the street. Chad led Sonny down the porch steps and through the gap.

Sonny's heart raced, thoughts of Chad's betrayal still trickling in. Nicholas felt light-headed and grasped to Connie for support. She willingly aided him, but could barely speak, think, or move at the same moment. Was Chad only throwing her a going away "party?" Would this be the last time they saw their daughter?

"Let's stop here," Chad suggested to Sonny, only halfway down the path. "Hello, everyone, and thank you for gathering at my abode." Sonny snickered internally – her peripheral nervous system too numb to react externally – at how well he could evolve from terrified, action-ready Chad to crowd-pleasing Chad Dylan Cooper. "This all started with this group across the street here, so why don't we give them the opening floor."

"Chad, what is going on here?" Mr. Franklin looked around at the infinite number of Sonny-supporting opponents on Chad's lawn. "I'm glad you at least have your head on straight. Just bring her a little closer, and we'll take care of her. Off your property – just like you asked."

"Okay, slow down," Chad halted, his voice running across the loudspeakers throughout his yard. "First of all, who even are you people?"

"We're your fan club, Chad," Mr. Franklin spoke proudly.

"No, you're not!" Chad exclaimed. "I had my people do their research. None of you are even currently registered in my official fan club. You don't work for me, you're not in my club, so who are you?"

"We didn't enter your fan club, because we didn't want to be lumped with the hormonal fourteen-year-old adolescent females who only claim to be fans because their biological clocks are beginning to suggest qualified mating partners. We respect your art and your talent. We see what you do is real. We owe you everything you have given up so that we may be entertained for an hour each week. The least we could do is keep your problems out of your hair."

"And who said I had a problem in the first place?" Chad challenged.

"You did! You tweet all the time about how the Randoms drive you crazy and how you haven't been able to concentrate since the newest pest joined the crew. We've seen the videos, the pictures, and all the blog posts about the ongoing rivalry."

"I never tweeted a thing about Sonny being a distraction or a pest."

"I quote," Mr. Franklin pulled an index card from his back pocket, "Friday, September 10th, 2010 3:15 PM: 'Funny how the Randoms think they have a chance of winning tomorrow – you know where to vote for your favorite!' Friday, September 10th, 2010 3:20 PM: 'I wish I could just get rid of the new intruder! Driving me up the wall!' Two tweets, one right after the other, clearly hinting at the same directive."

"That was the weekend before the Tween Choice Awards. But that second one was _not_ relevant, related, or a metaphor for Sonny. I had a mouse in my dressing room. Every time I would see it, I would try to jump up the wall to the ceiling where I thought I might be safe! You would know that if you were part of my official fan club and received the private blog post that night, titled 'Trials and Tribulations of Mouse Invaders.'"

"Wait, are you saying that you're _angry_ with us for trying to help you. For all we've done for you in your name to better your life?"

"I didn't ask you to!" Chad cut him off. "I never gave anyone permission to use my name in hatred. Not once did I ask someone to hurt this beautiful human being. You think _I_ make art? She's the one who has the ability to make people laugh. At _Mackenzie Falls_, if every person in America is crying at the end of an episode, we call it a good day. But Sonny," Chad turned to capture her eyes again, "Sonny makes people laugh, and smile, and feel joy. Now that's art."

"This is why she's not good for you, Chad. She's a distraction. Let us rid you of her," Mr. Franklin stepped forward, holding the hilt of a large hunting knife.

"No!" Chad freaked, pushing Sonny into the arms of the crowd around them. She fell into the arms of two teenage girls and a father who stood next to his little girl. "I swear, you come another step closer and this will be the last time any of you see me ever again. Come another step closer and I swear I will quit forever." Mr. Franklin froze, held up his hands and took a single step back. "Now," Chad reached into the crowd and helped Sonny back into the clearing, "before I go crazy, it's time to let the other group here have its turn."

Sonny looked up in the sky as a private plane circled around above them with a banner reading: "We Love You Sonny Monroe."

A man wearing a turquoise collared shirt stepped forward, shaking hands with Chad and giving Sonny a slight hug. Chad surrendered the microphone, allowing him to speak.

"Hi, Sonny, you probably don't know me, because unlike Mr. Cooper, _So Random_ has not established an official fan club for you just yet, but we like to think of ourselves as a precursor group, leading to such a club for you. My name is Jonathan – and I guess you could call me part of the team leadership. Chad called us up recently and explained to us what was happening. We knew something was wrong after your accident, we hope our gifts helped in some little way, but we had no idea it was a malicious attack to take your life. Chad asked if we could all come to show you, that while a small group of people feel one way, your die-hard fans, the ones who really care about you, are here to protect you. We're not going to let them hurt you ever again."

"They're all here, for _me_?" Sonny could hardly believe the astounding number of fans.

"I've been in contact with nearly three times as many, but unfortunately, because this all had to happen so last minute, they couldn't all come. I'm sorry," Chad apologized. Sonny was awestruck as she looked around at her fans.

"Oh yeah?" Mr. Franklin spat towards Jonathan. "Just try to stop us. Just because Mr. Cooper is temporarily blinded by her poison, we'll still work night and day to remove her from his life. This world would be a better place without her, her ugly face, her grinding laugh, and her pathetic jokes. No matter how you try, you won't – you _can't_ stop us, Sonny Monroe."

"Maybe not, but we can," the whole Los Angeles Police Department popped out from the middle of the crowd. The chief leading the group. Each wore a _So Random_ pin next to his or her badge. "It just so happens my daughter is a very large _So Random _fan, and we even have a few members in the club who are also on the force. And let me tell you, each and every one of you are under arrest for harassment, stalking, domestic terrorism, forgery, and my favorite which is sure to put you away for a very long time – attempted murder."

Mr. Franklin and the rest of the Alliance attempted to flee the scene, but several college students caught them within moments and had them pinned to the ground until each member could be detained.

"Wait," Chad held the cop up before Mr. Franklin was taken away. Chad stopped talking in the microphone, this was between him and Mike. "I don't even know what to say. You thought you were doing this for me, you thought this is what I wanted – can I even really be mad at that?" He was steaming, everything about this man causing him anger and pain. "But for you to think that I would ever want someone's life harmed to fit my personal agenda – that is disgusting. It makes me sick. I've had to watch over Sonny the last couple of days and see the destruction you made by what you put her through. You want to talk about a distraction? You're the biggest one of all. Personally, I can forgive you for trying to help me through misguided perceptions. I can never, however, forgive you trying to kill the most precious life on this planet."

Chad began to walk off but not without signaling for the police officer to hold on a moment.

"Do you trust me?" Chad took Sonny into his arms. Sonny gave a strong nod. Ensuring Mike Franklin was watching, Chad leaned down and trapped Sonny's mouth with his, and experienced the joy of Sonny returning with a stable demeanor – as though no one had ever touched her.

"Enjoy prison," Chad muttered as the police car drove off, Mr. Franklin throwing a fit in the back seat.

"Sonny?" a weak voice crept from within the crowd, ushered out with the aid of Nico and Grady.

"Lindsay?" Sonny jumped back. It was like seeing a ghost. Sonny had helped her and always had updated information on Lindsay's well-being, but Sonny had not seen her former assistant since the girl was beaten up…outside Mr. Franklin's apartment. "Lindsay, you're here!"

"I'm so sorry, Sonny," Lindsay hugged Sonny gently. "This was all my fault, and I feel horrible."

"Lindsay, if I may," Chad intercepted. "This was no more your fault for your part than it was mine for posting those stupid tweets."

"And I don't blame either of you," Sonny shook her head. "We can't live our lives expecting evilness from every person – that's how the evil wins. When it does come around, we might be able to do a little better in recognizing it, but you both are too good to cause such a problem knowingly or ignore obvious signs. We can assign fault all day long – I would take on most of it, but what you guys did here today, how can this now overcome evil?"

"And she still thinks it's her fault," Lindsay turned to Chad, the two of them covered in the same guilty expression. "Thank you so much for everything, Sonny." The two girls hugged and Lindsay turned away to leave Sonny alone forever.

"Lindsay, wait," Sonny stepped towards her. "Please don't go. We can get you a job at Condor Studios, we can still be friends…I really want to still be friends."

"I'm going to jail, Sonny. My trial begins next week. My lawyer thinks I can get less time by not pleading guilty, but not even he has hope of me not going to jail. Don't worry about me, Sonny. I'll be all right."

"Actually, Miss Blain," Chad broke in. "I spoke with the District Attorney and he decided if we were able to reel in the main offenders, he wouldn't need to prosecute."

"It's settled then!" Sonny spoke before Lindsay could back out again. "You'll come work at Condor Studios, we'll be friends forever, and we'll have our happy ending. Because…it's over," the realization hit Sonny like a block of ice. Her arms felt numb and before she knew it, she was falling down to the cement.

"Whoa!" Chad dove to catch her, resting her head in his lap as soon as he set her safely on the ground.

"Sonny!" Connie and Nicholas darted forward as the crowd gathered around

"It's all right, I have her," Nicholas lifted his semi-conscious daughter and carried her back inside Chad's mansion. The deadly silent sea of people parted as Nicholas carried their idol across the lawn.

"Daddy, I want to go home," Sonny whispered. Seconds before she had been filled with happiness, but now that the excitement was gone, and she was once again without an army of fan surrounding her, Sonny went numb with the realization of what the days to come would look like.

Nicholas set her down on Chad's big leather sofa and softly stroked her dark brown hair, "Don't worry, kid, we're going to get you back to the apartment in no time."

Sonny lost eye contact with her father as a tear blurred her vision. Everything had worked out so perfectly, but not even her father could understand what she really needed. Hollywood was no longer her home, and even though she could pull out her smile when needed, and though she truly knew it was over, the perfection of the West had been forever marred and she doubted anyone would ever understand the scars she felt inside. She longed for the serenity of the Midwest where the most exciting thing in the mail was the Cheese of the Month delivery. But every feeling was hidden deep inside as Sonny pushed them deeper and deeper, covering them with a sense of happiness and safety. She buried everything until Sonny refused to admit to herself, that she wished the Alliance had not been arrested, so that she had a reason to escape.

"Sonny?" Chad popped back in with a paramedic at his side. "My friend, Eric, is going to take a quick look at you. He's always been there whenever I've had an accident on stage. He's the best."

The paramedic cautiously surveyed Sonny's vitals multiple times before allowing her to return to the safety of her apartment with both her parents, her friends, and Chad at her side. Sonny noticed the caution tape blocking off Mike Franklin's apartment, but she did not bother to internalize its significance.

"Let me start up some macaroni and cheese, and I'll make all of you hot cocoa, and how about a movie or something?" Connie frantically dug through her kitchen, trying find whatever comfort food was in reach.

"I think I'm going to get some sleep," Sonny stepped away from the arms of her heroes. "But I wanted to thank you all before I go. Mom, Dad, you two ignored your own differences and I don't think I would be here if you hadn't. Tawni, you were so brave and so quick to act. It seemed as if you had done all of this before. I'm so impressed and so proud to call you my friend. Zora, I'm almost embarrassed that you had to do so much for me. Please forgive me for ever putting you in so much danger. You were always there for me whenever and wherever I needed you. I see you as a little sister, and I can only hope you might see me as your big sis. And Chad..." Sonny faded off. What would she say to him? Had she not already said everything?

"Please, Sonny," Chad interceded. "I don't deserve any gratitude. I only hope that what happened over the past few days was enough to make up for the year of torture I've put you through." The two maintained eye contact for nearly an eternity.

"I'll make it up to you," she finally whispered, and scurried off to her bed.


End file.
